Swiss environment minister ‘hopeful’ plastic pollution treaty within reach

Switzerland considered that the text unveiled on Wednesday afternoon by the chair of the Geneva negotiations was "unbalanced". Keystone-SDA

Swiss Environment Minister Albert Rösti said he's "hopeful until the end" that an ambitious agreement against plastic pollution can be negotiated by the end of the year. But it will be difficult, he admitted on Wednesday evening on his arrival in Geneva.

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The minster told news agency Keystone-SDA he was awaiting a new draft text from the chair of the negotiations, Luis Vayas Valdivieso. Like many ambitious countries, Switzerland considered that the text unveiled on Wednesday afternoon by the Ecuadorian ambassador was “unbalanced”.

The proposals put forward by Bern in particular for global control of plastic products and a list of substances and additives to be banned are not reflected in the latest version of the text. Rösti was due to hold further meetings with his counterparts on Wednesday evening and Thursday.

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Translated from French with DeepL/gw

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