On 13 March 2024, the European Parliament adopted its position on the revision of the Waste Framework Directive with a resounding majority. MEPs retained many key provisions originally adopted by the ENVI Committee, which will enable social enterprises to foster circularity and inclusion in Extended Producer Responsibility Schemes for textiles. 

In order to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, greenhouse gas emissions in the EU are to be reduced by 90 percent by 2040 compared to 1990 levels: With this new recommendation, the EU Commission is setting the direction for the next legislative period. Parallel to the communication on the 2040 climate target, a communication on industrial carbon management was presented, which is intended to make a significant contribution to reducing emissions.

The end of the legislative period was characterised by the European Green Deal. One of the numerous proposals to promote the circular economy, which is still being discussed, is a regulation on requirements for the circular design of vehicles and the disposal of end-of-life vehicles. The aim of this regulation is to reduce the environmental impact of the automotive sector and thus contribute to environmental and climate targets. Among other, this is to be achieved through regulations on reuse, recycling and design.

The EU's trade and investment agreement with Chile will be put to the vote in the European Parliament on 29 February. From AK's point of view, the agreement is highly problematic, as it has a negative impact on environmental and social standards, among other. The EU is thus moving a step further away from its goal of using trade policy to contribute to the objectives of the Green Deal.

The EU-Commission has proposed measures to improve the circularity of the automotive sector, covering the design, production and end-of-life management of vehicles. The aim is not only to improve access to resources and support environmental and climate goals, but also to promote value creation and employment. AK welcomes the basic objective of the proposal. The provisions on the reusability, recyclability and recoverability of vehicles and the associated obligation to collect data are very positive.

On 24 January, the EU's trade and investment agreement with Chile is on the agenda of the Committee on International Trade (INTA) and on 29 February the vote will be held in the European Parliament’s plenary session.

The Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour (AK) and the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) resolutely oppose the agreement with Chile.

The EU Commission is proposing an amendment to the Directive to make combined freight transport more attractive. In future, Combined Transport will be subsidised on the basis of external costs and organised digitally. The proposed measures should make it 10 per cent cheaper. AK is fundamentally in favour of more environmentally friendly freight transport. However, it is doubtful whether the proposed measures will actually lead to success.

The European Economic and Social Committee recently adopted an opinion on measures to create an EU just transition policy framework. In this opinion, it calls for a corresponding EU Agenda 2050, a Commissioner, who is specifically responsible for it and a Just Transition Observatory. The Committee thus makes it clear that the just transition must be at the top of the agenda in the next legislative period. There can only be a green transition in harmony with a social transition.

The Commisson's proposal provides for a standardised methodology for calculating CO2 emissions from passenger and freight transport and from the operation of transport hubs. This is to be welcomed. There is a need for reliable and comparable data.

The European economy is currently facing major upheavals such as digitisation, the climate crisis and escalating geopolitical tensions. The EU approach of open strategic autonomy is at odds with the new interventionist and protectionist approaches. Against this backdrop, the European Commission is focusing on a more active approach to industrial policy. The Green Deal Industrial Plan and related Commission’s proposals such as the Net-Zero Industry Act aim to achieve technological retooling and innovation, value creation and employment for a climate-neutral and sustainable Europe.