PROJECTS

Executive Summary

The project report presents the main outcomes of the enforcement project IMPEL-TFS Seaport , carried out by 13 European countries, representing 30 seaports, focussing on the enforcement of waste shipment regulations (EU regulation 259/93 and the Basel Convention). The project was carried out from September 2004 till May 2006.

The outcomes of the first enforcement project (IMPEL-TFS Seaport I), carried out in 2003 and 2004, with 6 European countries showed the need to enlarge the network for an (improved and effective) enforcement of waste shipment regulations; about 20% of all inspected waste shipments were found to be illegal.

Project aims

Main aim of the IMPEL-TFS Seaport II project is to improve inspections and the enforcement of regulations on the transfrontier shipments of waste, and to align enforcement actions between seaports, organisations and countries involved. The project also aims to stimulate cooperation and information exchange on national and international scale, to set up a network of European contacts, to identify specific seaport enforcement problems, and to raise awareness at the general public of the need to enforce this kind of environmental regulations.

During the operational phase participating organisations carried out joint and coordinated inspections and exchanged information on (illegal) waste shipments. Cooperation was established or intensified between environmental inspectorates, police and custom networks.

Project results

The main results of the project illustrate that the initial aims of the project have been reached by means of:

• Execution of joint inspections and tracking down illegal transfrontier waste shipments or waste shipments with infractions;
• Intensified international and national cooperation and exchange of knowledge and experiences;
• Identification of the relevant national enforcement structures, responsible for the enforcement of waste shipment regulations, including (wide spread) tasks and responsibilities, legal powers and bottlenecks;
• And last but not least, the project “caused” some side effects on international and national scale.