The EU has managed to make tremendous inroads into fighting and banning single-use plastics – but the time has come to take the fight across the world, MEP Roberta Metsola has warned.

“We have to revolutionise our thinking on single-use plastics. In Europe we managed to push through a ban on most plastics, but we need to take that thinking global. We need a universal treaty to end the environmental disaster caused by single-use plastics,” she said, echoing calls for a Global Treaty to ban most plastics.

The call for a new treaty was first floated by EPP lead candidate Manfred Weber during his visit to Malta a few days ago.

A dramatic 90 of plastic waste that finds itself in our seas comes from sources outside Europe.

“As the world did when it came to climate change, we need to come together in the war on plastic and find lasting solutions. We are the first generation of politicians who know the extent of the damage caused and we are already the last generation who can do something about it. We must be ambitious and we must be bold.”

The MEP Metsola called on Malta and Gozo to become the first Mediterranean plastic-free islands.