The Environment Council has adopted its negotiating position just before the Christmas break, with the outgoing Spanish presidency gifting the incoming Belgian one with the challenging task of negotiating the file in trilogues before European elections in June 2024.
Council also agreed that tea bags and sticky labels on fruit and vegetables must be compostable, introducing the option for Member States to require that coffee single serve units other than metal ones and very lightweight and lightweight carrier plastic bags which are placed on their market for the first time are compostable. EU countries are also empowered to mandate compostability for other packaging which is already required to be compostable under national rules before 1 January 2025.
Interinstitutional negotiations will start in January, and they appear to be difficult ones.
Check out the Council adopted text and press release!