The European Commission is looking to the plastics sector to plug a €13 billion Britain-shaped hole in its budget.
The budget commissioner, Gunther Oettinger, has discussed the unprecedented move by the EU to set a Europe-wide levy on plastics, as the bloc's responsibilities increase without its second largest net contributor, the UK.
Oettinger is looking for ‘new financial resources’ to raise money for the EU’s institutions and the burden of migration from the Middle East and Africa.
He told reporters in Brussels: “In the interests of the world’s oceans, the Baltic, the Mediterranean, the north Atlantic, in the interests of our living organisms in these seas - both mammals and sea animals we have to ensure that we reduce the quantity of plastic used in Europe.
“This is why, as part of the package which we are going to be proposing in the next weeks, we will bring forward the possibility of introducing a tax on plastics to incentivise the reduced used of plastic packaging. This will be done via the introduction of a European tax on plastic.”
The European Union is unable to borrow on financial markets, but all its contributions currently are paid by member states, and it has no exclusive tax raising powers.
Gunther Oettinger, EC Budget Commissioner. via shutterstock
