Overview

• The EU and France have refused to accept a treaty without binding production caps, eco-design requirements, hazardous additive phase-outs and financing support for developing nations.
• France’s environment minister, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, has accused Gulf states, Russia and the United States of blocking progress and warned that a narrow focus on waste management would fail to curb plastic pollution.
• According to French officials, the draft treaty text has ballooned from about 300 points to roughly 1,400 points, heightening procedural hurdles under the UN’s consensus rule.
• Geneva talks include representatives from 184 governments and more than 600 NGOs but face pushback from oil-exporting nations and petrochemical lobbyists reluctant to limit plastic production.
• Delegates face a fast-approaching deadline as global plastic production surpasses 400 million tonnes annually and recycling rates remain below 10 percent.