Europski gospodarski i socijalni odbor
EGSO se intenzivno bavi tranzicijom prema kružnom gospodarstvu kao jednim od rješenja za suzbijanje klimatske krize i zaštitu našeg planeta. To je ujedno i odlična prilika za civilno društvo, koje može pridonijeti u sljedećim područjima:
Model proizvodnje i potrošnje koji funkcionira prema načelu „uzmi – proizvedi – baci”, i koji i dalje prevladava u našem gospodarstvu, ne samo da rezultira traćenjem resursa već i ugrožava borbu protiv klimatskih promjena. Za razliku od linearnog gospodarstva, kružno gospodarstvo temelji se na regeneraciji i obnovi s naglaskom na stvaranju i zadržavanju gospodarske vrijednosti, čime se hvata u koštac s globalnim ekološkim izazovima kao što su klimatske promjene, gubitak biološke raznolikosti i onečišćenje, dok se istovremeno ostvaruje ekonomska korist.
Dobra je vijest da se tranzicija prema kružnom gospodarstvu na terenu već odvija. Dionici iz civilnog društva, uključujući poduzeća, sindikate, akademsku zajednicu i zajednice znanja, organizacije mladih te nevladine organizacije i druge interesne skupine osmišljavaju i provode brojne kružne inicijative na lokalnoj i regionalnoj razini. Olakšavanje primjene kružnih rješenja i preuzimanja vodstva relevantnih dionika najbolja je mogućnost za Europu da ubrza tranziciju prema kružnom gospodarstvu.
Europska platforma dionika kružnog gospodarstva, zajednička inicijativa EGSO-a i Europske komisije, uspostavljena je 2017. godine kako bi se okupila zajednica kružnog gospodarstva u Europi. Platforma, u kojoj vodeću ulogu imaju dionici, podupire tranziciju Europe prema kružnom gospodarstvu promicanjem dijaloga te razmjenom znanja i najboljih praksi.
The circular economy monitoring framework draws upon and complements the existing Resource Efficiency Scoreboard and Raw Materials Scoreboard, which were developed in recent years by the Commission.
This EESC opinion covers both the Communication on A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy (COM(2018) 28 final) and the proposal for a Directive on Port Reception Facilities (COM(2018) 33 final), as this initiative also contributes to the objective of reducing the leakage of plastics into the environment
This Committee opinion, prepared in response to the commission's request, has taken stock of the views of European stakeholders on how EU policies and regulatory action can use sustainable economic models to transition successfully towards economic modernisation by reconciling economic prosperity and efficiency, social inclusion and environmental responsibility.
RoHS 2 addresses the waste hierarchy’s highest priority, waste prevention. Waste prevention includes measures that reduce the content of harmful substances in materials and products. Decreasing the amount of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic waste benefits the management of such waste as a result.
The objective of the Communication on the role of waste-to-energy in the circular economy is to ensure that the recovery of energy from waste in the EU is consistent with the objectives pursued in the Circular Economy Action Plan.
In this opinion, the EESC calls for society to begin an economic transition from over-exploitation of resources and a throw-away culture to a more sustainable, job-rich era, based on quality rather than quantity. In order to cope with the fundamental shift to a new economic model with major systemic consequences in many areas, it is recommended that a new cross-cutting and permanent body be set up in the EESC to analyse these developments.
The EESC fully backs the objective of switching to a greener, resource-efficient and circular economy. It is happy to see that the Commission has come forward with a broader set of proposals covering all the stages of the product lifecycle compared to the previous circular economy package; however, it raises concern over the lower level of ambition, which is likely to lead to lower economic and environmental benefits.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) believes that the prospect of a European circular economy should bring a major boost to the systemic competitiveness of the EU, a driver for growth and a generator of new green jobs and skills.