Waste Shipment Regulation: Council agrees position

On 25 May, the Council of the European Union adopted its negotiating mandate for the trilogue negotiations with the European Parliament.

The European Commission proposed a new regulation on the shipment of waste on 17 November 2021 with the aim of supervising and controlling intra-European shipments, as well as shipments with countries that have signed the Basel Convention.

The regulation has several dimensions (economic, environmental, and circular), thus covering a wide variety of subject areas. Notably, the Council agreed with the Commission’s proposal to largely ban waste exports for disposal to other Member States except under strict conditions. Furthermore, non-hazardous waste shipments to non-OECD countries are only lawful if the waste is treated under strict environmental guidelines in the country of destination.

The European Parliament had already voted on and adopted a negotiating position in the plenary on 17 January 2023, therefore finalising the preparatory work, and the trilogue negotiations started on 31 May.

To provide a reasonable timeframe for preparation, the Council proposed that the new rules for the export of waste should apply 36 months after entry into force, while provisions regarding documentary exchange shall apply after 24 months.

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