The COVID-19 recession has further exacerbated existing inequalities and highlighted the interrelation between social problems and precarity, as well as the drawbacks of the current economic model. However, the crisis could also serve as a catalyst to redesign our economies to be more inclusive and sustainable. RREUSE welcomes the European Commission’s proposal to develop a favourable policy environment for social economy actors, calling for an ambitious Social Economy Action Plan […]
This joint position co-signed by 12 environmental NGOs and representatives of waste treatment operators calls for setting new European legal requirements to improve collection, logistics and preparation for re-use of e-waste and electronic equipment (WEEE). A revision of the legal requirements on these processes is urgently needed to avoid emissions that harm the environment and human health while enhancing waste prevention and material cycles. To reach this, the WEEE Directive […]
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a tool placing responsibility on producers, importers and retailers to financially and/or physically manage the post-consumer phase of certain goods. EPR aims to prevent the unnecessary production of waste, manufacture better designed goods and participate in the achievement of waste collection, prevention, preparing for re-use and recycling targets. Various EPR models have developed organically across European countries, including France which covers the largest amount of […]
Member States have until the 4th of July 2020 to transpose the updated Waste Framework Directive. After a final vote in the Senate on the 30th of January, France is now the first to validate its transposition law. Among other ambitious proposals, the text will trigger the creation of a Solidarity Re-use Fund, a re-use and preparing for re-use target, a ban on the destruction of unsold goods, re-use corners […]
A professional approach to the preparation for reuse[1] of WEEE[2] is essential both in terms of consumer safety and confidence when purchasing second-hand goods. It is also important because of health, safety and environmental issues, particularly considering the potential presence of substances of concern). Hundreds of social economy enterprises across Europe are active in this sector, giving a new lease of life to products and providing local job and training […]
The European Semester provides a structure to coordinate the economic policies of the European Union. In this framework, EU countries discuss their economic and budgetary plans, while monitoring their progress throughout the year. The European Semester consists of an initial policy guidance phase, secondary to a country specific phase, followed by an implementation phase and finally a preparatory phase which consists of both analysis and fulfilment.RREUSE comments on the European […]
55 % of procurement procedures still use the lowest price as the only award criterion [1], without considering any potential added social or environmental value they could support through making purchase choices between competing products or services. With public authorities in the EU spending about 14 % of GDP on public purchases, they have significant potential in driving markets for ethical and sustainable purchases and supporting local job creation. Re-use, […]
On 18 January 2018, the European Commission published proposals to revise the current VAT directive, part of an effort to create a harmonised and simplified VAT system across the EU. The proposals are now under the scrutiny of the European Parliament which is set to formalise its opinion during a plenary sitting in October this year. Nevertheless, at a later stage the ultimate decision on the final rules rests in […]
As part of the European Commission’s Circular Economy Package, a number of EU waste laws have recently been updated with Member States having until 4th July 2020 to transpose the new provisions into their national legal frameworks. These include EU Directives on Waste, Packaging and Packaging Waste, Landfill, Batteries, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and End of Life Vehicles (EoLV). RREUSE, the European network of social enterprises active in […]
National Reform Programmes 2018 The European Semester aims at contributing to the coordination of economic policies across the European Union (EU). Within the European Semester [1] process, National Reform Programmes (NRPs) [2] are published by Member States each year, to present the policies that are going to be adopted in order to boost jobs and growth and to counter macroeconomic imbalances. Some sections of the NRPs are dedicated to respond to […]