Waste Shipment Regulation: revision adopted

On 25 March, the EU Council adopted the revision of the Regulation on Shipments of Waste.

The Council and the Parliament had reached a provisional agreement on the regulation during the trilogue negotiations, and the the Parliament adopted the agreement on 27 February.

The Regulation lays out rules to ensure that waste is only sent to destinations where proper and environmentally sound treatment is ensured; waste cannot be sent to non-OECD countries unless the receiving country indicates its willingness to import and demonstrates its ability to properly manage the waste.

To support this process, independent bodies will audit the importing countries, and the Commission will introduce a monitoring mechanism.

The adoption by Council closes the legislative procedure. The Regulation will now enter into force on 20 May 2024.