18 Amendments of Silvia MODIG related to 2021/2011(INI)
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Recital 1 a (new)
Recital 1 a (new)
1a. whereas the International Resource Panel, in its report ‘Global Resources Outlook 2019’, estimates that half of the total greenhouse gas emissions and more than 90 % of biodiversity loss and water stress come from resource extraction and processing; whereas Europe’s environmental footprint exceeds the planetary boundaries and Europe contributes more to environmental degradation than other regions through consumption; whereas a significant reduction in our overall use of natural resources and in our waste production should be the overarching main objective of the European strategy for critical raw materials; whereas this will require a decoupling of economic growth from resource use, keeping in mind the distinction between absolute and relative decoupling;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Recital 1 b (new)
Recital 1 b (new)
1b. whereas European Environmental Agency's report ‘Growth without economic growth’ concluded that global- scale, long-lasting and absolute decoupling of economic growth from resource consumption and environmental pressures may not be possible; whereas OECD's report ‘Global Material Resources Outlook to 2060’ forecast that global material use will more than double from 79 Gt in 2011 to 167 Gt in 2060 and that the materials intensity of the global economy is projected to decline more rapidly than in recent decades, but only relatively decouple from GDP growth;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Recital 1 c (new)
Recital 1 c (new)
1c. whereas the European Environment Agency, in its report ‘The European Environment - State And Outlook 2020’, concluded that marine life, including species and habitats, is still under pressure across Europe from cumulative impacts that reduce the overall resilience of marine ecosystems; Whereas the target of achieving good environmental status of European marine waters by 2020 was not achieved; whereas globally oceans, seas and marine resources are increasingly threatened, degraded or destroyed by human activities;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Recital 1 d (new)
Recital 1 d (new)
1d. whereas the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the Charter) requires a high level of environmental protection and the improvement of the quality of the environment must be integrated into the policies of the Union and ensured in accordance with the principle of sustainable development; Whereas the Charter applies to all Union legislation and to national authorities when implementing Union law both in the Union and in third countries; Whereas, given that future legislation on corporate due diligence and corporate accountability for European undertakings would be expected to have extraterritorial effects, such legislation would affect the environmental development of developing countries and their prospects of achieving their SDGs; whereas any corporate due diligence legislation must be in line with the Paris Agreement;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls its demand in its resolution of 10 February 2021 on the New Circular Economy Action Plan1 for binding EUscience-based binding EU mid- and long-term reduction targets in the use for primary raw materials use and environmental impacts, to stay within planetary boundaries by 2050 at the latest; requests that the Commission include all possible options to minimise new resource consumptionextraction and to prioritize reducing consumption, re-using, repairing and recycling in its demand scenarios for critical raw materials (CRM); __________________ 1 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0040.
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Asks the Commission to set ambitious product design requirements for easy removal ofand identification of different CRMs; calls for ambitious binding minimum recycled CRM content targets; requests that the Commission propose new EU-wide collection schemes to increase collection rates of waste products containing CRMs; askUrges to make use of the positive experiences from deposit refund schemes of glass and plastics in many Member States; demands the Commission to propose dedicated binding recycling targets for CRMsall CRMs accompanied by a robust monitoring framework, by extending the approach suggested in the proposal for a regulation on batteries and waste batteries (COM(2020)0798) to other product groups without delay;
Amendment 104 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission and the European Raw Materials Alliance to prioritise CRM extraction from existing mines and waste dumps over new mining; requests that the Commission assess whether current due diligence and environment rules are sufficient to guarantee minimal environmental impact of potential new mining projects in the EU; emphasizes that reducing the adverse environmental effects of new mining projects in the EU cannot be based on offsetting schemes;
Amendment 106 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Notes that environmental standards for resource extraction and recycling in the European Union are robust in comparison to third countries; stresses that environmental standards regarding CRMs in the European Union and its Member states must be further developed and strengthened in order to guarantee a safe operation space for our societies within the planetary boundaries; highlights that currently high volumes of CRMs leave the union as waste which weakens the Unions strategic autonomy and causes both environmental problems and public health hazards in third countries; Urges the Commission to come up with legislative proposal without delay to ensure that CRMs do not leave the borders of the European union as waste, especially concerning dismantling of marine vessels;
Amendment 117 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Recalls its demand in its resolution of 10 March 2021 on Corporate due diligence and corporate accountability1a for the Union to urgently adopt binding requirements for undertakings to identify, assess, prevent, cease, mitigate, monitor, communicate, account for, address and remediate potential and/or actual adverse impacts on the environment, among other aspects, in their value chains; highlights that the demand for ambitious due diligence and corporate accountability consider also CRM value chains; stresses that it is the responsibility of governments to ensure peoples right to healthy and safe environment and that this responsibility should not be transferred to private actors; __________________ 1a Text adopted, P9_TA(2021)0073
Amendment 123 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Calls on the Commission to always include in the external policy activities on CRMs, including in trade and investment agreements, binding provisions and discussions on the protection of the environment; stresses that all such agreements must be fully aligned with and drive forward the implementation of the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); believes that such levelled playing concerning environmental standards would significantly mitigate environmental dumping in international trade and improve the health of citizens in the EU and third countries; emphasizes that mitigating environmental pressures in third countries caused by Europe's demand of CRMs cannot be based on offsetting schemes;
Amendment 166 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Believes that mining and the exploration of mining minerals should be forbidden in nature conservation areas, especially areas included in the Natura 2000 network; calls on the Commission to evaluatecome up with legislative optionsproposal to ensure that local communities are fully involved in the permit procedures for new industrial and new mining projects.democratic decision-making processes for new industrial and new mining projects and to pay special attention to the rights of indigenous people while drafting the proposal; stresses that mining projects must have social acceptance from EU citizens and communities must have a ‘Right to Say No’ to new mining projects in their local environment;
Amendment 171 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Supports the Commission’s review of State aid guidelines in all relevant sectors, including those related to CRMs and circular economy, in order to achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal by applying the ‘just transition’ principle; stresses that sustainable use of CRMs and transition to a fully circular economy in a just and inclusive way will demand massive public and private investments; highlights the role of R&D funding in developing more environmentally sound alternatives for current technologies, especially concerning batteries;
Amendment 181 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Acknowledges the lower environmental impact of electric vehicles (EV) in comparison to internal combustion engine cars; points out that despite relative advantages the manufacturing and use of EVs contribute to environmental problems through extraction of CRMs and multiple other ways; stresses that a truly sustainable transportation policy cannot be based on replacing internal combustion engine cars by EVs, but by putting walking, bicycling and public transportation as first and key policy priorities, especially in urban areas; highlights both the environmental and public health benefits of such sustainable transportation policy approach;
Amendment 189 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Is concerned about the environmental state of oceans, seas and marine resources , including species and ecosystems, in the European Union and globally; stresses that deep-sea mining causes significant potential risks to fisheries disturbance, water contamination, sound pollution and habitat destruction; calls for imposing a ban on deep-sea mining in EU waters and the Union and its Member States to promote such moratorium globally;
Amendment 193 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6d. Highlights that North and South Pole are experiencing faster warming than areas closer to the Equator due climate change; stresses the sensitivity and vulnerability of the these areas and the extreme difficulty of to mitigate environmental damage due harsh natural conditions; notes that the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (the Madrid Protocol) bans mining in Antarctic; points out that Greenland's bedrock contains rare earth mineral deposits that have drawn international interest in the mining industry; calls for the Union to support the government of Greenland to develop and implement high standard and sustainable mining regulation suitable for the local natural conditions;
Amendment 197 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 e (new)
Paragraph 6 e (new)
6e. Points out that there is a large body of evidence of non-compliance of EU law in relation to mining across the EU; urges the Commission and the Member States to step up efforts to enforce the rule of law and prevent breaches to EU law in the mining sector; highlights that communities effected negatively by mining must have adequate tools to seek justice for environmental damage;
Amendment 199 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 f (new)
Paragraph 6 f (new)
6f. Highlights that the European Green Deal and its initiatives, such as increased organic farming and promoting zero-carbon steel making, will not only mitigate multiple environmental pressures, but also increase the Union's and its Member States self-sufficiency on CRMs; believes that the advantages of the green transition should be also considered from the perspective of strategic autonomy in addition to mere narrow economic or environmental viewpoint;
Amendment 202 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 g (new)
Paragraph 6 g (new)
6g. Recalls its demand in its proposal of 8 October 2020 on the European Climate Law1a that the Union institutions and all Member States should, as early as possible and by 2025 at the latest, have phased out all direct and indirect fossil subsidies; stresses that all public subsidies related to CRMs should follow the ‘do no harm’ principle; __________________ 1a Text adopted, P9_TA(2020)0253