Mr. Matthew Collins:

I will give the members of the committee a brief introduction to the proposal. As the Chairman knows, the European Commission published its proposal for a regulation on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment on 28 May 2018. This is part of the important agenda of Europe's transition to a circular economy. The main objective of this initiative is the prevention and reduction of plastic marine litter from single-use plastic items and fishing gear containing plastic by complementing the measures already envisaged under the EU plastic strategy. Ultimately, the proposal will further reinforce the EU's systemic approach to this issue. The proposal is designed to complement the EU's established legislative framework in the fields of waste and water. These include matters such as the waste framework directive, packaging and packaging waste directives, the marine strategy framework directive and a number of other waste directives, including those concerning wastewater.

The Department greatly welcomes the proposal to tackle the problems posed by plastic single-use items. The Minister had strongly urged the Commission to tackle this issue urgently. We believe that working proactively with our European colleagues, we will achieve a greater environmental benefit. The problem of marine litter is transboundary by nature as marine litter can originate in and affect different countries. Joint action is particularly effective in this context. Marine litter can be more effectively prevented and reduced through a coherent approach of policy and measures at EU level, while ensuring a single European market for the general public with high environmental standards and legal certainty for businesses.