Förebyggande av förluster av plastpellets i syfte att minska mikroplastförorening

 welcomes the proposal of the European Commission on preventing plastic pellet losses to reduce microplastic pollution as part of the efforts towards the EU target of reducing by 2030 by 50% plastic litter at sea and by 30% microplastics released into the environment with the objective of achieving zero pellet losses;

 stresses the importance of moving forward with the negotiations on a global treaty on plastic pollution that also covers the issue of microplastics. Given the global dimension of this issue, measures to combat microplastic pollution will be much more effective if non-EU countries also face up to their responsibilities and engage here; highlights the need to consider the issue of microplastic pollution in EU trade policy to limit unfair advantages for producers and carriers from third countries with significantly lower standards;

 agrees that timely action needs to be taken to deal with the problem of microplastic losses, which is having an increasingly significant impact on local communities, both from an environmental point of view and from the point of view of socio-economic activities;

 recommends that the Regulation’s rules be clear, certain and simple, so that they do not lend themselves to different interpretations by individual Member States, in particular as regards who they apply to, the definitions and the requirements, as this would undermine the effectiveness of the Regulation; invites to pay due attention to ensuring that the implementation of the Regulation, except regarding certain aspects, does not go through transposition measures adopted by individual Member States;

 also recommends that particular attention be paid to the impact of the Regulation on the public administrations involved, which must be able to operate properly (an excessive burden, especially of formal tasks, would mean an over-emphasis on red tape to the detriment of substantive activities);

 recommends setting up an effective system to monitor the individual Member States’ application of the provisions of this Regulation, in order to check that the rules are working effectively and to make any necessary changes and improvements.