Brussels, 27/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - The way has been opened for negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council on the draft European regulation which would oblige member states actively to fight illegal transfers of waste within the EU and to developing countries. On Wednesday 22 January, the MEPs of the parliamentary committee on the environment supported the proposal of the European Commission to amend the legislation in force (Regulation 1013/2006 on the transfer of waste within the EU and between the EU and third countries) to harmonise the level of controls across all member states and thereby to facilitate the failing implementation of this legislation, which is easily circumnavigated. However, they went even further.
With their amendments, they hope to reinforce the text in order to improve the knowledge base regarding illegal transfers. The member states would be obliged to carry out risk assessments for specific waste flows and sources of illegal transfers, as well as to lay down their priorities in annual inspection plans. They want the member states' inspection plans to include a minimum number of physical checks and to be permanently accessible to the public, along with the results of the checks. The MEPs have also brought in changes to give the inspection authorities greater powers: inspectors would be authorised to request evidence from exporters suspected of carrying out illegal waste transfers. It was by a wide majority that the rapporteur, Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA, Belgium), was given a mandate to start negotiations with the Greek Presidency (60 votes to six, and no abstentions) to attempt to reach a first-reading agreement on this future legislation.
“Too many member states have been seen to be dragging their feet and have not even carried out any checks in real time into illegal waste transfers from their territory. Although the regulation on the transfers of waste require all waste exported outside OECD countries to be processed in such a way as not to harm the environment, in order to protect the citizens and the natural environment, checks have shown that around 25% of waste transfers within the EU do not respect this regulation”, stressed Bart Staes (Greens/EFA, Belgium).
Regulation 1013/2006 bans the export of dangerous waste to non-OECD countries and the export of waste for disposal outside the EU/EFTA. A few member states have strict and effective inspection systems, but the others are lagging behind. This disparity is behind the “port shopping” practised by exporters of illegal waste seeking to export waste from countries where the checks are the most lax. At their initial exchange of views in October of last year (Environmental Council and the Lithuanian Presidency), most of the member states proved unwilling to embrace the idea of a detailed publication of the national inspection plans (see EUROPE 10942). The European Parliament's vote is scheduled for the plenary session to be held in Strasbourg on 14-17 April, ahead of the European elections. (AN/transl.fl)