The European Commission announced, on Friday 10 July, that a regulation (https://aeur.eu/f/muw ) will enter into force on 30 July, allowing the export to Switzerland of mixed municipal waste destined for recovery notably through recycling or energy recovery.
The proposal is dated 29 April (see EUROPE 13859/9) and the text was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 10 July.
Under current EU rules, exports of mixed municipal waste intended for recovery to countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA), including Switzerland, have been prohibited since 21 May 2026.
This amendment ensures the continuation of long-standing waste management arrangements between the EU and Switzerland, in line with the European principle that waste should be treated as close as possible to where it is generated.
The measure will avoid disrupting existing practices, particularly in border regions of Austria, France, Germany and Italy, from where around 200,000 tonnes of mixed municipal waste are sent to Switzerland each year. It concerns only exports intended for recovery (recycling or energy recovery). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)