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Medicines and microplastics harm Europe’s wildlife. No one wants to pay to remove them.
Personal Remarks
Regarding microplastics, the solution is actually quite simple.
For more than 35 years, recycling has been sold to the public as the answer to plastic pollution. Yet we are now discovering that a large share of plastic waste was never truly recycled at all. Meanwhile, so-called “recyclable plastics” were sold at a premium price compared to non-recyclable plastics. Recycling operators collected revenues and subsidies, but in many cases failed to deliver the promised service.
The European Commission should investigate these premiums and determine where the money went.
Another important question must also be addressed: who was responsible for ensuring that plastics were effectively recycled? Was it the responsibility of local authorities, national governments, or private operators?
Ultimately, the cost should be borne by the industry.
But there is also the issue of regulatory responsibility. Who is responsible for ensuring that EU laws are respected?
The responsibility is shared primarily between the European Commission and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
The European Commission — often referred to as the “Guardian of the Treaties” — is responsible for monitoring whether Member States correctly transpose and apply EU legislation. When countries fail to comply, the Commission has the authority to launch infringement procedures.
The Court of Justice of the European Union ensures that EU law is interpreted and applied uniformly across all Member States. It can impose financial sanctions on countries that fail to comply with its rulings.
To me, the conclusion is clear: responsibility lies both with the recycling operators that engaged in fraudulent or misleading practices and with the European Commission, which failed to adequately monitor what was happening to Europe’s plastic waste.
The financial burden should therefore be shared equally.
Recycling operators that profited from recyclable plastics sold at a premium should contribute 50% of the costs.
The European Commission should cover the remaining 50% from its own budget.
European Commission officials, it is time to take responsibility for these failures. You were entrusted with enforcing the rules and protecting the public interest, and that responsibility was not fulfilled adequately.
Lead by example. And a public apology wouldn’t be a bad idea either.