AUTHORS: Emma Watkins – Andrew Farmer

The Waste Shipment Regulation is a major challenge for Member States to implement. IEEP gathered the views and experience of IMPEL members on its practicability and enforceability, to help inform any future legislative development and aid competent authorities to work together to enhance their implementation of the Regulation.

Many practicability and enforceability issues were highlighted, relating to inspection systems, outdated and inconsistent classifications of waste, the urgent need for a common/interoperable (electronic) notification system, the registration of brokers, the interaction between the Waste Shipment Regulation and the Animal By-Products Regulation, the current limited practical use of the Financial Guarantee, and issues related to transit states.

The report recommends that the European Commission should carefully consider the effect on implementation of any future revision of the Waste Shipment Regulation (and possibly the Animal By-Products Regulation); consider practical concerns in relationships with third countries and international organisations; and facilitate co-operation between competent authorities of the Member States. It also recommends that the competent authorities of the Member States should take the initiative to work with partners in other Member States to help reduce divergence in application of the Waste Shipment Regulation.