IMAGE REPORTS: The Austrian EU presidency has signalled a common line to negotiate a Europe-wide single-use plastics ban with the European Commission and Parliament.

Managing director of the Consumer Choice Centre Fred Roeder has criticised the current negotiation position of the council. “The EU ambassadors should stand up for consumers and consumer choice in their member states instead of following the misleading policy move of the Commission and the Parliament. By banning single-use plastics such as styrofoam cups, straws, stirrers and cotton buds in Europe we won’t solve the actual problem which is the terrible pollution of our oceans with plastic litter,” said Roeder “While the EU accounts for over 20% of the world’s economic output it causes merely 1% of marine plastic pollution. Therefore rather than banning viable technologies in Europe we should rather focus on increasing recycling rates, enforce existing anti-littering laws in Europe, and push the main polluters of the oceans such as China, India, Indonesia, and Brazil to comply with environmental standards and implement effective anti-littering laws,” said Roeder. “European consumers have already done their homework and showed their respect for our environment. There’s no need to punish EU consumers for the pollution causing behaviour of consumers in emerging countries.”