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Critical raw material act (CRMA) and sustainable supply chain
The “…proposal for a regulation of the European PArliament and of the Council establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials and amending Regulations (EU) 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, 2018/1724 and (EU) 2019/1020…” [COM(2023) 160 final] lists the next guidelines: Ensure a comprehensive approach with coordinated EU policies to provide regulatory certainty for investments; Coordination with EU social policies: support EU-wide capacity in terms of skills for extractive industries; Include other materials crucial for green tech/cleantech sectors and ensure consistency with other policies; Address unfair trade practices and restrictions; Prioritise critical and strategic raw materials in recycling and waste legislation and support the secondary raw…
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Customs classification, circular economy and environmental goods
The customs classification is one of the three pillars of the customs obligation. But it could play an interesting role in the enforcement of the European- and hopefully global- “green customs” Indeed, according to WCO (World Customs Organization – The fifth symposium in the WCO Symposia Series on “Visualising a greener HS to support environmentally sustainable trade”, supported by the European Union, was held on 23 January 2023) statements: sustainable goods to support a circular economy transition are increasing; the technology sector is a rapidly changing area, meaning that today’s environmentally preferable technology can quickly become obsolete and overtaken by newer and better technology; It is not possible to separately…