Ref. Ares(2021)4534463 - 13/07/2021 Opening Remarks by Commissioner Oettinger: an own resource contribution on plastics – the case for action  Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure for me to welcome you in Brussels for this roundtable with many delegates from the industry, trade associations and NGOs.  The objective of the workshop is to discuss if and how the EU Budget can contribute to the environmental objectives of the EU. In particular, we need to discuss how the EU budget can enrich the toolbox of the Plastic strategy.  Plastic makes a positive contribution to the European economy and improves the daily life of the European citizens.  At the same time, Europeans generate 25 million tonnes of plastic waste among which less than 30% is collected for recycling.  The recent decision of China to ban imports of plastic waste is a challenge for the European recycling industry. We need to rethink the way plastic products are designed, used, produced and recycled in the EU. This is why the Plastic Strategy adopted in January is so important.  [My colleagues Commissioner Vella and Commissioner Bieńkowska will provide additional details about this strategy which most of you have helped to develop].  I would like to insist on one single fact: Europe will never be able to compete on low price, low value plastics. Quite the opposite, we want to number one for high value, innovative and recyclable plastics on as it are currently the case for many sectors of the green economy.  The EU budget will provide the necessary resources to further develop innovation. My proposal for the next Multi Financial Framework will not cut research expenditures, quite the opposite we will scale up support for innovation.  But we also need to understand that the EU cannot – and need not – solve every problem by spending money. Indeed, on the revenue side, we need to address the shortfalls resulting from the withdrawal

of the UK. At the same time, on the expenditure side, we need to accommodate additional political priorities such as border control.  To bridge this gap, the Monti Report strongly advocates in favour of a robust own resources system which would offer some room to manoeuvre to our EU budget by introducing new types of financing sources which are more directly supportive of our policy objectives.  I am determined to make some steps in this direction; the EP demands it forcefully and even several Member States express sympathy for the introduction of new own resources that are better linked to our policy priorities.  A new Own Resource system would indeed enable the modernisation of the EU budget by making sure it contributes to enforcing key EU policies such as environmental protection. It will strengthen the internal market by initiating an EU level approach in order to avoid a patchwork of different national measures.  Against this background, earlier year, I proposed to reflect on how the EU budget can contribute to the plastic strategy. It is a good example of how the raising of revenue can be combined with tackling a policy problem, like the huge quantity of plastic packaging waste that ends up as litter, pollutes our environment and literally, 'wastes' precious resources.  [My colleague Commissioner Moscovici may say a few words about other Commission initiatives in the same spirit]/[there are several Commission initiatives in that Direction with], VAT action plan, CCCTB]. All of these would also make possible tax-based own resources.  That's why am glad that we have the opportunity to discuss today. We also need to reflect on fiscal measure which will contribute to the achievement of our environmental objectives and at the same time not penalise the European industry which already operates in a competitive international environment.  During this roundtable We will explore successively three basic questions:

 How can a fiscal measure incentivise producers to meet the objective of the plastic strategy?  How to encourage the right consumer behaviour?  How to incentivise Member STates?  We will of course thereafter try to summarise the opinion expressed during this roundtable