The EU packaging value chain calls on the EU institutions to protect the integrity of the Single Market (Joint statement)

Following the commitment by European Commission President von der Leyen to deliver on the Single Market in her State of the Union address, the packaging value chain calls upon the EU institutions to live up to this promise, prioritising the defense of the Single Market as the cornerstone of the European Green Deal and economic recovery.

In a joint statement signed by EUROPEN and 58 other European and national organisations and delivered to EU leaders today, the packaging value chain calls upon the Commission and Member States to protect the integrity of the Single Market for packaging and packaged goods.

“The Single Market is fundamental to deliver a circular economy and the European Green Deal” said EUROPEN Managing Director Francesca Stevens, “President von der Leyen reminded us that the Single Market cannot be taken for granted and called for giving it a boost and tearing down barriers. We could not agree more, but what we see on the ground is continued erosion of the Single Market, through uneven transposition of EU law and a growing patchwork of disparate national rules that hinder free movement and inhibit investments in green innovation.”

The signatories stress that the scale of the Single Market and the certainty of free movement of goods are essential to underpin the major investments in technology and product innovation needed to transition to a circular economy. They call on Member States to respect the Single Market when transposing EU law and to notify their draft national legislation to the Commission without fail, in compliance with EU rules.

They also call on the Commission to ensure that the internal market legal basis is consistently upheld when proposing or amending relevant EU legislation and to intervene against any national provisions on packaging and packaged goods that do not comply with the Single Market or existing EU legislation.

“he further erosion of the Single Market for packaging and packaged goods can and must be prevented through joint commitments and actions by the European Commission and Member States. As the Competitiveness Council meets on Friday to discuss deepening the Single Market for a strong recovery and a competitive, sustainable Europe, we call on EU leaders to demonstrate vision and ambition”, concluded Stevens.