The European Commission (EC) presented on Monday new EU rules targeting single-use plastic products most often found on European beaches.

“Plastic waste is undeniably a big issue and Europeans need to act together to tackle this problem, because plastic waste ends up in our air, our oceans, and in our food,” said Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the EC, in charge of sustainable development.

After addressing plastic bags in 2015, 72 percent of Europeans said they have cut down on their use of plastic bags (Eurobarometer). The EU is now turning its attention to the 10 single-use plastic products and fishing gear that together account for 70 percent of the marine litter in Europe.

“Today’s proposals will reduce single use plastics on our supermarket shelves through a range of measures. We will ban some of these items, and substitute them with cleaner alternatives,” he added.

Where alternatives are readily available and affordable, plastic products will be banned from the market. For products without straight-forward alternatives, the focus is on limiting their use through a national reduction in consumption, the press release from the EC said.

Together, the new rules will put Europe ahead of the curve on an issue with global implications, it added.

European MP from Croatia Davor Skrlec, a member of the Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety Committee, said:

“We are drowning under the mountains of plastic surrounding us. Without policy changes, it is estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in our seas and oceans.”

The Commission’s proposals will now go to the European Parliament and Council for adoption. The Commission urged the other institutions to treat this as a priority file, and to deliver tangible results for Europeans before the elections in May 2019, the press release said, adding that, to mark the World Environment Day on June 5, the Commission will also launch an EU-wide awareness-raising campaign to put the spotlight on consumer choice and highlight individual people’s role in combatting plastic pollution and marine litter.

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