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European legislation Circular Economy

In the context of the circular economy (hereinafter CE), the EU has taken progressive steps to streamline legislative opportunities that accelerate the circular transition. As the EU moves to adopt transformative policy proposals, Member States must begin preparing for their new obligations. Although supranational legislative initiatives are an important mechanism to stimulate policy change, local and regional authorities (LRAs) play an important role in the implementation of CE projects and initiatives, which informs the national policy approach. Ultimately, the success and efficiency of EU policies and subsequent national targets is inherently linked to the initiatives pursued at the local and regional levels of governance.1

As a member state of the EU, the domestic law of the Netherlands is largely influenced by new EU Directives and Regulations. At present, the EU is developing new legislation that is intended to further the circular transition, however, LRAs continue to face barriers when dealing with new legislative possibilities. Without a targetted approach to strengthen the capacity of LRAs, local and regional initatives are doomed to fail and national governments will be at greater risk of missing their circular and climate targets.

To foster the diffusion of knowledge in the context of EU legislation, this paper will explore theimplications stemming from the March 2022 communication on making sustainable products the norm, which identifies the direction of the next generation of EU legislation. Therefore, this paper will first identify the most recent EU legislative proposals, including a summary of their content. This paper will continue by summarising the role that LRAs contribute within the implementation of EU policies, including some predictions as to how the legislative proposals can best be used to support a circular Municipal agenda.

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Header image: Europese wetgeving CircuLaw

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