Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I will start by thanking Minister Maron for hosting this very useful meeting, and making sure that circular economy is in the spotlight right at the beginning of the Presidency.
I take that as a very positive sign for the next six months, and for keeping the circular economy high on the political agenda in the future!
Circular economy is not often in the headlines, but it's always been at the heart of the EU Green Deal. It has inspired many policy initiatives that make a real difference on the ground.
And as we saw today, there is no climate neutrality without circularity. It's also essential in getting Europe to zero pollution, and stopping the ongoing loss of our biodiversity.
But best of all, if we do it properly, we have everything to gain, because the circular economy is all about solutions, and solutions bring optimism.
It creates jobs, it increases the EU's competitiveness, and it enhances our strategic autonomy.
That is why in this mandate we put great priority to deliver all the actions under the circular economy action plan we presented in 2020.
And thanks to the impressive support of Member States, the European Parliament and stakeholders, we've been quite successful in this common effort.
But improving the sustainability of our economy and society is always work in progress.
This morning, we looked at circular economy from all angles, against the backdrop of two very useful new reports, one from the International Resource Panel, and one from the European Environment Agency.
I have three main points to make on this.
The first is the need to continue mainstreaming the circular economy. This is not a niche file, it's not a nice-to-have. It needs to become our go-to method of production.
It should be standard. To my mind, if you aren't building circularity into your economy from the start, you need a very good reason to justify that. So we looked at ways of doing that, across the economy.
The second point is, it's not enough to have one circular practice in a value chain. The entire value chain needs to become a loop, so we're always retaining value throughout each individual process.
And then thirdly, we need to be absolutely honest. We need to admit that right now, the signs are pointing in the wrong direction.
We are consuming too much, too many raw materials. That's unsustainable, and it needs to change. That will take political courage, but it needs to be done.
In this conversation, Europe should be leading the way. Coming with solutions that benefit people, the economy, and the natural world.
To give you a few examples, we already have a new approach to batteries, there is powerful new legislation on the way, like the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, as well as tailor made rules on packaging, textiles, and vehicles. There is a whole financial toolbox like the Sustainable Finance taxonomy, and big platforms for knowledge sharing. We are also promoting the circular economy internationally, for instance by seeking a global agreement to fight plastic pollution.
Once again, many thanks to the Belgian presidency for putting these issues in the spotlight, where they belong.
Thank you also for the deep dive in adaptation, resilience, climate neutrality and the challenges to just transition yesterday.
We need to continue our ambitious path towards climate neutrality, in line with the advice of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change.
The Commission will present a Communication and a detailed impact assessment of the 2040 climate target in February 2024, within 6 months of the Global Stocktake, in line with the European Climate law.
The assessment will be accompanied by a report on the indicative greenhouse gas budget for the EU for 2030 to 2050, also called for in the European Climate Law.
In March, the Commission plans to put forward a Communication on managing climate risks. The main objective is to better protect our citizens and economy against the consequences of climate change.
In this context, I would like to highlight the growing importance of water resilience. Water is the ultimate natural resource, and everyone takes it for granted until it's too late.
It touches on everything, from the food we eat to the digital transition that powers the economy of tomorrow.
In Europe we already have problems with both quality and quantity, and the situation is further aggravating due to climate change impacts.
Competition for these limited resources is increasing, and if we don't address these issues now, we're storing up severe problems for the future.
I want to a start a broad, society-wide conversation about water, making people more aware of the challenges, and of the immense advantages there are in building up our water resilience.
In the coming Water Resilience Initiative (in March), we'll be mapping out the terrain, and looking at how we can ensure that our water helps deliver a just, sustainable, and resilient economy.
Very happy to take your questions on that, or on anything else we discussed this morning.
