THE EUROPEAN LEGISLATION ON CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND THE ROLE OF MEMBER STATES

Abstract

The paper gives a brief description of the European regulatory framework in terms of “circular economy”. First of all, readers can observe the analysis of the current environmental and economic situation, which determined the need of implementing a new economic model, able to guarantee the existing welfare level without further undermining the equilibrium of the global eco system. In this context, the authors decided to pay specific attention to reveal the original fundamentals and the environmental, social, technical and economical reasons that first inspired the definition of the circular economy model. The final part of the article, while analysing the latest and ambitious European legislation, focuses the attention on some key elements that, during the national transposition phase, will determine the success or the failure of the regulatory package in the long period, regardless of the identified quantitative targets achievement.