Amendments to the Product Standards Act to promote sustainable production
Amendments to the Product Standards Act to promote sustainable production and consumption patterns and to protect the environment, health and workers.
On the proposal of Environment Minister Zakia Khattabi, the Council of Ministers approved on 20th July a draft law on product standards aimed at promoting sustainable production and consumption.
This bill will (finally) align Belgium with four European regulations between 2016 and 2020.
"I highly value the fact that Belgium will be able to comply with EU regulations more rapidly than in the past, particularly with regard to environmental matters. European decisions apply to everyone in the same way, which enables large-scale environmental progress without the risk of unfair competition, but we have to be able to enforce them", the Minister emphasizes. The bill includes penalties for violations related to air emissions from certain internal combustion engines, persistent organic pollutants, mercury pollution and energy-efficient tire labelling. For example, EU Regulation 2019/1020 demands, among other things, that since July 2021 a product must comply with all EU regulations when listed on an online interface. The government recently enhanced the e-commerce inspection service for this purpose, at the suggestion of the Minister and Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke. The sanctions are still to be decided.
The bill also harmonizes the definitions of reusable packaging, retrieval, recycling and disposal. "It makes the rules of the game clearer for everyone involved in the circular economy, which is one of my priorities". An additional legal basis has also been created to allow for future measures aimed at improving product circularity.
