Projects (13)

Throughout several years and multiple IMPEL projects the initiators of the project have identified that multiple TFS inspectors together have had thousands of inspections in the field of TFS. All these inspections have boiled down to an extensive knowledge of the legislation connected to physical inspections of transboundary shipments of waste. However, despite several legislative changes and reviews of the legislation, there are still lacking a connect between legislators and inspectors out in the field when it comes to some of the details in the legislation. These “details” could be where there are certain intentions with the legislation but due to the disconnect due to long lines of communication and many agencies between legislators on a EU-level and TFS inspector and the level of which such “details” might not be brought up higher in each nations priorities towards the commission since they are just that, “details”.

A large part of the work of the IMPEL Waste & TFS cluster is focusing on compliance of trans-boundary movement of waste. Because a large volume of waste shipments is destined for countries outside Europe it is important to have good contacts with the authorities in these destination countries. Most IMPEL members have minimal contact with these far away countries. Environmental damage such as e-waste dumping in Africa and plastic dumping in Asia is unfortunately quite common and we see a high number of structural illicit traffic taking place. The market is dynamic and as a result of recent political developments such as the import ban in China and European authorities struggle to keep up with what is the situation in practice. In these cases, international collaboration is essential.

The rise of plastic waste is rising globally over the years. With China accepting 7 million tones of plastic waste for recovery prior to 2018 this caused an up-roared shock to the global waste plastics trade. This shock resulted in neighboring Asian countries receiving the displaced waste. Although the information we have on the ultimate end destination of these waste flows is limited, it is certain that further information is needed.

SPIDER WEB is jointly financed by the European Union and the Federal Republic of Germany on the basis of a grant agreement with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GmbH) within the IPA/2017 Countering Serious Crime in the Western Balkans Project. For your easy reference, please see the SPIDER WEB updates below:

The Enforcement Actions project was set up for the following reasons: Competent authorities expressed the need for a formalised project framework in order to integrate enforcement inspections in their own countries; International cooperation is essential to tackle international environmental problems; and The network of enforcers in the field needs to be maintained and extended to cover all Member States to ensure an effective inspection regime.

The new Art. 50 (2a) of the Waste Shipment Regulation 1013/2006 (WSR) lays down that by 1 January 2017, EU Member States shall ensure establishment of one or more inspection plans (IPs) in respect of their entire geographical territory. These plans refer to inspections under Art. 50(2) WSR, i.e. of establishments, undertakings, brokers and dealers in accordance with Art. 34 of Directive 2008/98/EC, and of shipments of waste and of the related recovery or disposal. During the IMPEL-TFS conference of 2014 participants expressed the need to develop a standard format/template or at least a guideline for an inspection plan in line with the requirements of the WSR which should make IPs also more comparable. They also supported an exchange of existing plans, experiences and priorities.

The compliance deficit of the Basel Convention and its European implementation, the European Waste Shipment Regulation (1013/2006) or ‘WSR’ is very serious. Figures indicate that about 20% of all waste shipments are in violation. The EU Directive 2008/99 on the protection of the environment through criminal law requires member states to also enforce the WSR by criminal law.

This IMPEL-project explores the usefulness of the Doing the Right Thing (DTRT) methodology for waste shipment inspections. The aim is to develop a practical tool, based on the DTRT Guidance Book, which can help improve the organisation of waste shipment inspections by competent authorities in the IMPEL member countries. Three competent authorities from different IMPEL member countries will each apply the DTRT Guidance Book on waste shipment inspections and test how DTRT can support the organisation of those inspections. By organisation is meant all the different steps of planning, executing and evaluating inspections as described in the DTRT Environmental Inspection Cycle. The tests will be set up taking into account the findings and recommendations of the study on specific inspection requirements for waste shipments. The results of the testing phase will be discussed and used to develop a guidance tool based on the DTRT Guidance Book, which is suitable for the specific area of organising waste shipment inspections.

International cooperation and alignment is very important when it comes to the enforcement of the European Waste Shipment Regulation (WSR) (EC) No 1013/2006 as stated in article 50. Previous and running IMPEL-TFS (TransFrontier Shipments of waste) projects showed that it is essential to work together as competent authorities. The enforcement deficit of the EU waste shipment regulation remains serious. To improve the collaboration and alignment of enforcement, frequent contact between the European enforcement authorities is necessary. This project facilitates the exchange of information and experiences, case studies, discussions on interpretations and inspection approaches between the TFS National Contact Points (NCP’s).

Many projects and activities of the Waste and TFS Expert Team are based on the European Waste Shipment Regulation (EC) Nº 1013/2006 (WSR). Being a Regulation and including a cross-border aspect, it is of high importance to have an active and practical European network of inspectors and regulators that meet on a regular basis to exchange practical experiences. Not only environmental inspectors, but also Customs and Police officers and the Judiciary. Ongoing IMPEL-TFS projects continue to show the need for establishing and above all maintaining good and practical collaboration between Member States, third countries and relevant international organisations.

Requiring member states to inspect shipments of waste and too co-operate with each other is all part of The Waste Shipment Regulation. Some of the objectives of this project are to verify waste destination and the treatment at their destination within or outside Europe; as well as To work towards an adequate level of inspections in all Member States and a consistent level of enforcement at all exit points of the EU. Key activities included carrying out various enforcement actions, knowledge exchange and capacity building and updating existing tools.

The aim of these projects was the improvement of the European enforcement of waste shipment regulation as laid down in EU Regulation 259/93 and the Basel convention, by improved cooperation between the enforcement authorities.

The project aimed to increase cooperation and information exchange on the verification of waste destinations within the framework of EU Regulation 259/93 (Waste Shipment Regulation WSR) on the supervision and control of waste shipments, by performing inspections in the participating countries and follow the waste streams to their final destination.