On 16-17 October the ENVE commission met in Bologna to discuss the proposals of the European Commission on a new Circular Economy. With these proposals, the European Commission intends to set up a policy framework to unlock investments, modernise waste policy and targets, with waste as a resource and set a resource efficiency target to increase resource productivity by 30 % by 2030. In particular, members of ENVE looked at the contribution of the building sector, which makes large use of energy and water resources and accounts for a large share of the total waste produced in the EU.
Members discussed ways to increase the use of recycled materials and allow for a better functioning market for recycled construction and demolition waste.
Alongside the meeting, the ENVE Commission, on the invitation of the Region Emilia Romagna, held a conference with the participation of the Italian Secretary of State, Sandro Gori, and the CoR President, Michel Lebrun on local and regional strategies on climate change and their contribution to an improved air quality. The EA coordinator Mrs Linda Gillham mentioned the recent flooding in the south of England as an example of how severe the effects of extreme events on local communities could be. If we don't tackle Climate change now, added Cllr Gillham, the risk of natural disaster to occur will be far higher in the future.
