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Towards the global plastics agreement - stay of play

In response to the global problem of marine litter and plastic pollution, which is projected to triple by 2040, the Governments of Ecuador, Germany, Ghana and Vietnam will jointly organize a Ministerial Conference on Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution, most likely on 1 Sep 2021. The objective is to adopt an ambitious Ministerial Declaration paving the way for the UNEA5 to adopt a negotiating mandate for a global plastics agreement in Feb 2022. The first pre-meeting to the Ministerial Conference on 27-28 May with more 500 participants including governments, NGO’s, industry showed broad support for launching the negotiations for a legally binding global agreement for plastics through a circular economy/life cycle approach. DG ENV is now working with the EEAS to prepare a targeted outreach in run up to UNEA 5.2. with the primary focus on like-minded (signatories to New York declaration) and open-minded countries (e.g. Indonesia, India, Malaysia, South Africa).

Related topics

Circular economy Marine and coastal environment Waste and recycling Water

date:  09/06/2021

In relation to specific country positions in the first pre-meeting to the Ministerial Conference on Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution:

  • Most of the support came from the established group of like-minded countries, but also from Canada, Australia, Iran and Russia.
  • Japan, supported by Malaysia, took a more cautious approach, urging to first focus on the existing instruments (Osaka Blue Ocean Vision) and the main elements of a future framework rather than discussing its form, i.e. legally binding vs voluntary.
  • US, Nigeria, China, Mexico and a few others expressed no specific position. US, however, acknowledged the importance of collaborative approach to address the transboundary problem of plastic pollution.
  • Indonesia did not participate, and countries such as India, Argentina and Brazil remained silent.

On content, the meeting had structured discussions along the three works streams: vision and objectives; data, monitoring and reporting; and specific measures. The second pre-meeting expected in June will cover additional elements such as financial mechanisms and complementarity with the existing instruments and initiatives.