At a conference on the Circular Economy, the European Commission presented its progress on enacting the Circular Economy Package, announcing that half of the expected measures have already been enacted.

Referring to a report on the implementation of the Circular Economy Action Plan, Commissioner Karmenu Vella summarised that the actions already launched include Innovation Deals, an Ecodesign Working Plan and new draft of the Ecodesign directive, and a new platform to support financing of the Circular Economy.

However, work remains to be done, including the establishment of indicators to monitor Europe’s transition to a Circular Economy. First indicators will be taken from existing Eurostat data, including domestic material consumption and resource productivity, trade in secondary materials, environmental tax revenues and waste statistics and indicators.

For funding research in the Circular Economy, the Commission will launch calls for proposals under Horizon 2020, with the topic,  ‘Connecting economic and environmental gains – the Circular Economy’, in the Work Programme for 2018-2020. Projects will focus on designing products and processes, servicing, and waste valorisation.

Recordings of the conference, as well as presentations, can be accessed at the European Commission’s Circular Economy page.