Executive Summary
The negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty should be concluded by the end of 2024 and could constitute one of the key advances in ocean protection to be celebrated in UNOC 3 in Nice in June 2025. This leaves precious little time to deal with the escalating crisis of plastic pollution. Current projections indicate a tripling of global plastics consumption by 2060, requiring urgent and effective measures. As a major international player, the European Union has a central role in shaping the outcome of these negotiations, which have run into significant challenges and delays in the past year.
In this context, the EU must embrace a more assertive and ambitious stance, leveraging its policy leadership at home into becoming a driving force in the international arena. This involves lending support to ambitious proposals from other regions, namely Africa and the Pacific and Small Island Developing States (PSIDS), fostering collaboration with like-minded nations, and actively engaging in discussions on contentious issues in both formal and informal settings.
The EU's role will be pivotal in countering the influence of bad-faith actors, mainly oil producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia, and ensuring that the Plastics Treaty aligns with the overarching commitment to effectively combat plastic pollution on a global scale. Success in the upcoming rounds of talks, coined INC-4 and INC-5, is paramount to realising a comprehensive treaty that is fit for purpose.