BAKGRUNN (fra kommisjonmeddelelsen, engelsk utgave)

Introduction

The transition to a circular economy is a tremendous opportunity to transform our economy and make it more sustainable, contribute to climate goals and the preservation of the world’s resources, create local jobs and generate competitive advantages for Europe in a world that is undergoing profound changes. The importance of the circular economy to European industry was recently highlighted in the renewed EU industrial policy strategy. The transition to a circular economy will also help to meet the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In the circular economy action plan, a circular economy is explained as an economy ‘where the value of products, materials and resources is maintained in the economy for as long as possible, and the generation of waste minimised’.

In the transition to a more circular economy, monitoring the key trends and patterns is key to understand how the various elements of the circular economy are developing over time, to help identify success factors in Member States and to assess whether sufficient action has been taken. The results of monitoring should form the basis for setting new priorities towards the long-term objective of a circular economy. They are not just relevant to policy makers, but should inspire all and drive new actions.