University of Zenica, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The paper discusses the need for an EU wide ban of microplastics. The
focus is on the announced EU regulation on the ban of intentionally added
microplastics. The paper firstly presents published results from research in
natural science on the widespread of microplastic pollution and its influence on
human health and life of animals and plants. These findings are used to analyse
from a legal perspective to what extent there is a need for an EU ban on
microplastics, what should be the scope of such regulation and what are the
potential economic and regulatory impacts. The increase of plastic pollution
caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is in this paper analysed as an important
factor for a stricter EU approach towards microplastics. The EU for now decided
to ban only the use of microplastics in rinse-off products and not in leave-on
products. The EU did not show the ambition to be a front-runner on this matter,
despite the economic benefits and its front-runner status in recycling. The
comparative analysis confirms that the EU so far only reacts to already enacted
legislation in other parts of the globe.
U radu se govori o potrebi zabrane mikroplastike u cijeloj Evropskoj uniji.
Fokus je na najavljenoj Uredbi EU o zabrani namjerno dodate mikroplastike. U
radu su najprije prikazani objavljeni rezultati prirodnih nauka o raširenosti
onečišćenja mikroplastikom i njegovom utjecaju na zdravlje ljudi i život životinja
i biljaka. Ovi se nalazi koriste za analizu iz pravne perspektive u kojoj mjeri
postoji potreba za EU zabranom mikroplastike, koliki bi trebao biti obim takve
regulative i koji su potencijalni ekonomski i regulatorni učinci. Povećanje
onečišćenja plastikom uzrokovano pandemijom COVID-19 u ovom se radu
analizira kao važan faktor za strožiji pristup EU prema mikroplastici. EU je za
sada odlučio zabraniti samo upotrebu mikroplastike u proizvodima koji se
ispiraju (rinse-off proizvodi), a ne i u proizvodima koji ostaju na koži (leave on
proizvodi). EU nije pokazala ambiciju da bude predvodnik po ovom pitanju,
unatoč ekonomskim prednostima i svom statusu predvodnika u recikliranju.
Komparativna analiza potvrđuje da EU do sada reagira samo na već donesenu
zakonsku regulativu u drugim dijelovima svijeta.
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The statements, opinions and data contained in the journal are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publisher and the editor(s). We stay neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.