Information Exchange and Awareness
Raising Events
on SHIPMENT of Waste
Every year, about 1.3 billion tonnes of waste are produced within the
European Union. The application of adequate treatment practices inside and outside the
Community has a high priority on the political agenda of the European Commission.
In the European Union the new Regulation (EC)
1013/2006 on shipments of waste contains a number of measures
to prevent illegal shipment of waste, including the obligations
for Member States to carry out inspections and spot checks as well
as to co-operate in this respect with other MS. It replaced Council
Regulation (EEC) No 259/93 and has to be applied since July 2007.
Effective control of shipment of waste is a major
priority of Community waste legislation in order to meet the requirements
of the Basel Convention as well as EU requirements as concerns management
standards and prevention of risks to health and environment.
Recent inspection and enforcement projects co-ordinated
by IMPEL (The European Union Network for the Implementation and
Enforcement of Environmental Law) however have shown that a significant
number of the waste shipments leaving the EU are not complying with
the rules of the Regulation and that the establishment of an effective
infrastructure for control and cooperation has not been fully accomplished
in many of the EU Member States.
