In just a few days, the boxes of Camembert had become the unexpected point of tension in ambitious legislation intended to reduce packaging waste: the European institutions worked on Wednesday to close the file.

MEPs voted to exclude the famous wooden boxes from recycling obligations in an EU legislative project, while Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius showed his desire to “calm passions”. Proposed by the European Commission, this text notably imposes recycling objectives for all packaging in the EU from 2030. French companies and MEPs have been very alarmed in recent days that such a provision threatens cheese boxes in wood, for which no dedicated recycling sector exists — which cannot be profitable in any case given the low volumes involved. “We readily recognize that some of the most precious products of our European heritage are associated with certain wooden and ceramic packaging (…) We are entirely open to the exemption of such products, usually in small quantities, which are the pride of our heritage,” said Virginijus Sinkevicius during a press briefing. “This could be easily resolved” during negotiations between MEPs and states to finalize the legislation, “but as this issue has come up so loudly, I am happy to answer it and calm passions on the subject,” he said. -he adds.

By adopting their position on the text on Wednesday with a view to talks with the States, the MEPs meeting in plenary validated an amendment tabled by the Renew group (liberals). The latter provides that the recycling obligation does not apply at this stage to wooden packaging (boxes of Camembert, Mont-d’Or, oyster baskets, trays of strawberries, etc.) or wax (this which concerns Babybel), as long as Brussels has not examined their specific situation. “Our amendment (…) was widely supported. The subject is therefore settled!” welcomed the president (Renew) of the parliamentary Environment committee, Pascal Canfin. This will “preserve wooden packaging, such as the emblematic Mont d’Or spruce box”, Jura cheese, added his colleague Christophe Grudler. The organization of majority agricultural unions (Copa-Cogeca) welcomed “good news” for cheese producers. An amendment tabled at the same time by the EPP (right) to also demand a derogation was, however, not retained, to the great dismay of MEP François-Xavier Bellamy, who believes that the Renew amendment only represents a “respite temporary”.