12/07/2007 (Agence Europe) - The new EU regulation on cross-border shipment of waste, adopted last year, comes into force on 12 July 2007 to ensure that waste is properly handled from the time it is shipped to the time it is disposed of or recovered at destination. To achieve its objectives the regulation reinforces and clarifies the current legal framework for waste shipment within the EU and with non-EU countries. It bans the export of hazardous waste and waste for disposal to certain countries. On this issue, EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas commented: We must make sure that tragic accidents such as last year's dumping of dangerous waste in the Ivory Coast never happen again. This is why we must have strong and efficient measures at EU level to prevent illegal shipments of waste and to ensure that when waste is shipped for treatment outside the EU, this treatment does not damage the environment." (ol)