The package “Circlular Economy” was published in the Official Journal of the EU on 14 June 2018.

On 14 June 2018. In the Official Journal of the European Union was published legislative package for the waste of the EU; it was officially approved on 18 April by the European Parliament. This reviews the Framework Directive on Waste, the Directive of the Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and other directives.
With the adoption of this new, ambitious package of measures for the circular economy, the European Commission aims to foster the transition of the European enterprises and consumers to a stronger and more effective circular economy, in which the resources are used more sustainably.
The proposed actions will contribute to the “closure of the circle” in the framework of the life-cycle of the products by increasing the recycling and the re-use, and will be of a benefit for the environment, as well as for the economy. Thanks to the plans, all the raw materials, products and waste will be used optimally, which will lead to an increase in the energy savings and decrease in the emissions of the greenhouse gases.
The circular economy is not only a policy for the management of the waste, but is a way to restore the raw materials and not to overcome the already scarce resources of our planet, also by a deep implementation of our production system.
The transition will be supported financially by the European Structural and Investment Funds (ЕСИФ), as 5,5 billion euros will be allocated to the management of the waste. In addition to this, support will be given at the amount of 650 million euros in “Horizon 2020” (the program of the EU for the financing of research and innovation), as well as through investment in the circular economy at national level.
This package also contains important measures for waste management, but at the same time, it develops further, by determining rules which take into account the entire life cycle of the product and it is aimed to change the behaviour of the businesses and the consumers.
The main characteristics of the package are:
• Goal for recycling of household waste: 55 % by 2025, 65% by 2035.
• No more than 10 % disposal until 2035.
• Separate collection of textile and hazardous waste
The EU considers that the circular economy implies a decrease in the waste to a minimum and re-use, reconstruction and recycling of the existing materials and products.