The Commission presented on 26 February its Communication on the Clean Industrial Deal, a business plan to support the competitiveness and resilience of European industry.
Concerning circular economy, the Clean Industrial Deal gives more details on the future Circular Economy Act (CEA) (expected end of 2026). This upcoming regulation should harmonise the End-of-Waste criteria to facilitate the transition from waste to valuable secondary raw materials and implement measures to incentivise diversion from landfill towards re-use and recycling through more effective separate collection. The Commission also takes the example of fertilisers to illustrate the potential of the Clean Industrial Deal across sectors. Indeed, it recognises that the domestic production of fertilisers, including of low-carbon fertilisers and fertilisers from recycled nutrients, reduces dependencies on fertiliser imports and emissions, promotes circular business models and should reduce input prices for farmers. To support the preparation of the CEA, the Commission should launch a Clean Industrial Dialogue on Circularity.
The Commission believes the bioeconomy can also further reduce dependencies on imported raw materials and states that the upcoming Bioeconomy Strategy (expected end of 2025) will lay down priorities for manufacturing and using bio-based materials, given their significant growth potential.