The Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU, which begins on 1 July for six months, will take up the torch for the continuation of work on the proposal for a regulation concerning shipments of waste (revision of regulation 1013/2006), which aims to restrict waste exports to developing countries, better combat illegal shipments and recycle waste in the EU.
On Tuesday 28 June the outgoing French Presidency presented to the Ministers for the Environment of the EU27, the report on the progress made so far on this regulation which had been proposed in November 2021 (see EUROPE 12834/3).
French Minister for Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, reported on the favourable reception of Member States to the introduction of a digital system for intra-EU transfers and to export restrictions, especially to developing countries.
However, work will have to be deepened on the practical implementation, the operation of the new system for auditing third-country sites and the new role of OLAF (European Anti-Fraud Office), she specified.
Underlining the importance of the dossier, the European Commissioner for the Environment, Virginijus Sinkevičius, recalled that in 2021, “the EU exported 34 million tonnes of waste, most of which could have been recycled”.
He said that he took note of the concerns of certain Member States regarding the transfer procedures, which were considered too restrictive, and said that he was “ready to support the Czech Presidency in helping to obtain a ‘general approach’ from the Council by the end of the year”.
The European Parliament’s first reading vote is scheduled for November. According to the commissioner, “the adoption would be fundamental for the implementation of the ‘European Green Deal’”, as this legislation “will strengthen the circular economy”.
See the progress report of the French Presidency: https://aeur.eu/f/2fg (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)