Environment minister defends anti-can crusade

By Karen Carstens

Date: 23/10/03

GERMAN Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin has attacked both domestic and foreign opponents of his efforts to make the EU's biggest member state a can-free zone.

He defended Germany's system of drinks containers recovery and its drinks pack deposits law, in effect since 1 January, in a status report submitted late last month to the European Commission.

The German government was asked by the Commission in July to explain details of its nationwide recovery system, amid claims from industry that the piecemeal and incomplete system in operation was discriminatory.

The report and supporting letter from Trittin were sent to Commissioners Margot Wallström, environment, and Frits Bolkestein, internal market, just seven days before a 1 October deadline for the system to be in place nationwide. This deadline, imposed on Germany by the Commission, was later extended by three weeks.

In his letter, Trittin said that all drinks suppliers, foreign or domestic, are free to join an existing returns system or set up their own, free of discrimination. Special returns systems used, for example, by French mineral water importers and Austrian energy drinks manufacturers have been allowed to continue, according to the report.

It also claims that producers of French mineral water, who have long lobbied the Commission to take action against the deposits system on grounds of discrimination within the single market, have seen their imports grow by 11.5% this year compared with 2002.

Article forms part of a survey on recycling.