When the EU published its plastics strategy for the next 10 to 15 years in January, there was a collective breath of relief in the industry – see Plasteurope.com of 19.01.2018. The recent push by EU budget commissioner Günther Oettinger to introduce a plastic tax seemed to have left the table, helped by other commissioners' doubts. However, at Petcore Europe's (Brussels / Belgium; https://petcore-europe.org) annual conference on ​​7 and 8 February 2018, that can of worms was opened up again in Brussels.

Eric Liégeois, team leader for Chemicals Industry within the European Commission's DG Grow (Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs), electrified the audience when he said a decision on the possible introduction of a plastic tax within the EU's administration will be brought to the table in July 2018. It could well be that the Commission incorporates the demand for a tax on polymers into a framework plan by the summer, Liégeois said. He explained the EU wants to keep the plastics industry within Europe, while at the same time decoupling its economic growth from plastics waste generation.

Around 200 participants attended the conference, and after Liégeois' presentation on Thursday morning, the event had found a hot topic for discussions afterwards. It looks as though the European plastics industry could face another challenge in the coming months.