&ldquothe launch of the report is timely for europen members and stakeholders amid the current european commission review of the eu targets in the packaging & packaging waste directive ppwd and the forthcoming proposals for new eu packaging targets in may 2014. the report&rsquos facts and figures will further inform the discussion and will help to establish achievable targets for all packaging materials&rdquo, stated virginia janssens, managing director of europen, on the announcement of the organisation&rsquos updated report on packaging & packaging waste data for 19982011. recovery rates &ndash and in particular recycling rates in the eu27 continue to increase, as the amount of used packaging sent for final disposal is declining rapidly. by the end of 2011, 64 of packaging placed on the market in eu27 was being recycled, largely exceeding the 55 minimum recycling target currently set by the ppwd. in the older member states eu15, 65 of the packaging placed on the market was recycled 51 was recycled in the newer member states eu12 1, but the ppwd targets do not apply to these countries until 2012 or later. one of the key challenges is to bridge the gap between the newer and the older member states in terms of waste management performance. europen therefore calls for the full implementation and enforcement of eu waste legislation across europe, and a tailored approach in setting realistic targets for all packaging materials in the revised ppwd. this must take into account current packaging material recycling performance and the member states&rsquo varying waste management capabilities&rdquo, added ms janssens. europen strongly supports maintaining a separate regulatory approach for packaging under the ppwd. the ppwd, with its requirement for member states to establish return, collection and recovery systems for used packaging, remains essential for ensuring that packaging, and postconsumer packaging in particular, is collected separately to meet existing and future recycling and recovery targets across the eu. in order to ensure that recycling rates continue to increase, a revised ppwd should also contain binding minimum requirements for extended producer responsibility epr for packaging waste, as well as harmonized definitions in eu waste legislation. 
