Regulation for agriculture on packaging and packaging waste

The two organisations set out their concerns in a joint letter sent on 13 December to the EU’s permanent representatives for agriculture, ahead of the Environment Council meeting on 18 December.

At this meeting, the Council representatives will have to agree on an approach to a proposal for a regulation on packaging and packaging waste, which will serve as a negotiating mandate to begin trialogues with the European Parliament.

On reading the Presidency’s compromise proposal, and in particular Article 22 and Annex V (paragraph2), the possibility of exempting fruit and vegetables from the ban on single-use packaging for products weighing less than 1.5 kg has not been completely eliminated, particularly in the context of quality schemes.

AREFLH and AREPO are calling for the wording of this annex to be brought into line with that of the European Parliament, which they consider to be much more comprehensive and reassuring, by expressly specifying an exemption for PDO and PGI fruit and vegetables