The European Parliament's Environment (ENVI) Committee voted in favour of the provisional agreement on the Commission's proposal for a directive on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment (single-use plastics directive) on 22 January.

On 22 January 2019, Circle Economy launched the second annual Circularity Gap Report in Davos during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting.

The EU is taking action to reduce plastic pollution by setting new restrictions on certain single-use plastic products. The presidency of the Council today reached a provisional agreement with the European Parliament on a new directive which is part of the EU's efforts to protect the environment and reduce marine litter.

The European Parliament in plenary meeting approved in a landmark vote on 24 October 2018 a target of 35% of mandatory recycled plastic by 2025 in beverage bottles.

On 14 June 2018, the Circular Economy Package, i.e. the amendments to the most important EU waste management Directives, including the Waste Framework Directive, were published in the Official Journal of the EU. The European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC) (whose work HOSZ is actively involved in as a Hungarian national member), draws attention to the fact that the European Commission will develop related implementing acts and guidelines in the next one or two years on the basis of the mandate given in the Directives. The most important acts and guidelines, the preparation of which EuRIC intends to take part in are the following:

With the amount of harmful plastic litter in oceans and seas growing ever greater, the European Commission is proposing new EU-wide rules to target the 10 single-use plastic products most often found on Europe's beaches and seas, as well as lost and abandoned fishing gear.

The European Commission adopted an ambitious 'Circular Economy Package'. An EU Action Plan for the circular economy establishes a concrete programme of actions outlining measures that cover the entire product life cycle: from production and consumption to waste management and the market for secondary raw materials. In addition the circular economy has strong synergies with the EU’s objectives on climate and energy and with the Commission’s package on 'Clean Energy for all Europeans'. The circular economy is also instrumental in supporting the EU’s commitments on sustainability, as outlined in the Communication   ‘Next steps for a sustainable European future’ and in particular to reach Sustainable Development Goal 12 'Responsible consumption and production'.

The platform is a joint initiative by the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee.