The EU has decided to ban microplastics added to, among other things, artificial turf. This means a major upheaval for Norwegian football.

The measure has been in preparation for a long time. This week, the European Commission in Brussels voted for a ban.

The Ritzau and TT news agencies are also reporting on the decision.

Rubber granules are among the main sources for the spread of microplastics, the Norwegian Environment Agency said. In the EU, there has been work for a long time on strengthening a set of regulations to ensure less spread.

The EU has decided that a transition period will last eight years after the ban comes into force. The NFF intended the period to be 10 to 12 years.

– It is not sustainable to play with the offer of activities for the rising generation. We are already facing a critical situation with 70% less land built, and only 20% of land built between 2008 and 2012 has been rehabilitated, NFF General Secretary Karl-Petter Løken said in February.

The NFF then requested assistance from the Norwegian authorities to go through a longer transition period with the EU. The association was partially successful.

In Oslo, the city council decided in 2020 that the municipality should reduce the use of rubber granules by up to 50% by 2024. The city council has around 100 courts. About ten per year will be rehabilitated.

The bill is expected to come into force in 2024. However, the matter is not yet 100% settled. EU member states in the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament have three months to raise objections if they want to change the decision.

(© NTB)