Serafin insists on own resources from e-waste: ‘Positive for environment and competitiveness’

Brussels – The European Commission’s initiative to manage electronic waste is designed to benefit the environment and fund EU activities without placing additional burdens on governments, said Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin. He claims and defends one of the EU executive’s proposals for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2028-2034), which, however, becomes the subject of clarification, including a question submitted from the benches of the ECR. 

There is a fear that this tax could burden citizens, a fear that Serafin tries to dispel by explaining that “The own resource based on e-waste is not a tax, but a national contribution​.” In essence, it is the states that are supposed to pay into Brussels’ coffers a portion of what is collected nationally. “As such, there is no direct cost for the taxpayer​,” assures the Budget Commissioner. 

As for the measure itself, he goes on to explain, the choice to propose an e-waste own resource “is linked to its possible positive impact on the EU’s competitiveness and environmental policy.” A budget item derived from the amount of uncollected e-waste “would help protect the environment and support the Union’s strategic autonomy in essential raw materials,” Serafin added. Essential raw materials such as copper, platinum, and rare earths can be recycled “when waste is managed effectively,” he noted. At the same time, e-waste contains hazardous materials such as heavy metals and chemicals, which “pose serious environmental and health risks, if not properly collected and treated.”

Serafin also emphasises another, which serves to explain further why the Commission is looking to e-waste to partly finance the functioning of the Union without burdening national budgets: “E-waste represents one of the fastest growing waste streams.” Serafin emphasises this to explain that, in perspective, the proceeds of this waste collection could generate even more than the EUR 15 billion per year currently forecast—all money to finance the Union and its agenda.