NoC40/112 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 17.2.92
6.9.Afewprinciplesunderpinning ajointimmi­
grationpolicyspecificallyinrelationtotemporary
migrationcouldusefullybeestablishedinlinewith
thediscussionsatthePraguemeetingofEuropean
EmploymentMinistersinApril1991.
6.9.1.NeitherCentralandEasternEuropenorthe
Mediterranean thirdcountrieswanttobecomea
recruitinggroundfortheundergroundeconomy,and
WesternEuropedoesnotwanttoattractmorejob­seekersthanithasvacanciesfor.TheCommitteeunder­
linesthatnegotiationsandagreementsaretherefore
needed.Forthepresentthesecouldevenbebilateral
untiltheECorothersupranational bodiesacquirea
remitforimmigrationmatters.
6.10.TheaimofECpoliciesshouldbetohelpthe
countriesoforigintoenabletheminfuturetohelp
themselvesinthedevelopmentoftheirownresources
fortheireconomicandsocialprogress.
DoneatBrussels,28November1991.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
FrancoisSTAEDELIN
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiveonthelandfillofwaste(')
(92/C40/26)
On5June1991theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,under
Article100AoftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforProtectionoftheEnvironment ,PublicHealthandConsumerAffairs,which
wasresponsibleforCommittee'spreparingtheworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon
5November1991.TheRapporteurwasMrColombo.
Atits291stplenarysession(meetingof27November1991),theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefolowingOpinionunanimously .
Subjecttothecommentsmadebelow,theCommittee
approvestheproposalforadirective,whichreflectsthe
bestinternational experiences inplanning,
implementingandrunningenvironment-friendly land­
filloperations .
1.Introduction
1.1.ThisproposalderivesfromtheCouncilResol­
utionof7May1990(2)establishingguidelinesforan
overallCommunitystrategyforwastemanagement .In
pastOpinions,theCommitteehasrepeatedlystressed
theurgentneedforsuchanapproach,anditwelcomes
theintentiontotakefurtherstepsinharmonizingstan­dards,therebysecuringahighlevelofenvironmental
protection,onthebasisofArticle100A(3)ofthe
Treaty.
1.2.ReferenceshouldbemadetotheOpinionon
theamendments totheDirectiveonwasteandthe
OpinionsontheDirectivesontheincinerationof
municipalwasteandoncivilliabilityfordamagecaused
bywaste(3),whichemphasizepreventionatsourceas
ameansofreducingtheamountofwastefordisposal.
1.3.Thispreventiveapproachrequiresactionat
everystageoftheprocessofproduction,distri­
butionandconsumption—'fromcradletograve'—with
(')OJNoC190,22.7.1991,p.1.
(2)OJNoC122,18.5.1990,p.2.(3)OJNoC56,6.3.1989;OJNoC318,12.12.1988and
OJNoC112,7.5.1990respectively .

17.2.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC40/113
economicandfiscalincentives0)fortheuseofreusable
materials,lesspackaging,andpre-treatmentofwaste
inordertoreduceitsquantityandtoxicity.2.4.TheCommitteestressestheneedforrapidhar­
monizationofwasteclassificationproceduresbetween
allMemberStates,togetherwithmorereliableinfor­
mationonthevolumesandtypesofwasteproduced,
andonactualdisposalcapacitywithintheCommunity .
Tothisend,theobligationonMemberStatestosubmit
anannualreporttotheCommission ,laiddownin
Article19,canhelpconsiderably .1.4.AstheCommitteehaspointedoutonseveral
occasions,inadditiontoapositivecommitmentbythe
authorities,preventionalsoimpliestheactiveinvolve­
mentofconsumers,withathorough-going programme
ofeducationforselectivewastecollectionandecologi­
cally-awareconsumption .Ecologicallabellingofprod­
uctsshouldprovideamajorstepforwardinthisdirec­
tion. 2.5.Point5oftheabovementioned CouncilResol­
utionisworthmentioninginthisrespect,asitrecogniz­
estheneedforCommunity-wide dataonthevolume
andtypeofwasteproducedintheCommunity,the
availabilityofapproveddisposalfacilitiesandthe
methodsoftreatmentandfinaldisposal.TheCouncil
wasrelyingupontheEuropeanEnvironmentAgency
tohelpcollatesuchdata.Theregrettableandbasically
unjustifiabledelayinsettinguptheAgencyhascertainly
madeitselffeltinthisarea.Itmustthereforebeclearly
statedwhatinformationMemberStatesshouldforward
totheCommission .1.5.Lastly,theCommitteerecallstheneed,
expressedinearlierOpinions,foranetworkofwaste
disposalinstallations,fairlydistributedonageographi­
calbasis,inordertoreducetransportofwastetoa
minimum.Collectionandlandfilldisposalareasshould
beascloseaspossible,subjecttotheexistenceof
suitablehydrogeological conditions .
2.Preliminaryobservations
2.1.Basedontheoverallpreventiveapproach
referredtointheIntroduction ,comprehensive 'cradleto
grave'wastemeasuresneedtobeadoptedincorporating
proposalstoregulateindividual'endofpipe'technol­
ogiesfordisposal.2.6.TheCommitteecallsupontheCommissionto
takeurgentstepstodrawupacompletelistofillicit
landfillsiteswithintheCommunity,soasmoreaccu­
ratelytoassessneeds,includingthefinancialresources
requiredtodealwiththem,withaviewtofuture
economicandtaxmeasuresandbetteridentification of
measurestopreventanyspreadofthispractice.Effec­
tivesupervisorymachineryisessentialinordertopre­
venteventhestrictestregulationsonlandfillbeing
evaded,increasingillicitactivity.Adequatepenalties
shouldbeavailable.2.2.WhilecallingupontheCommissiontorecon­
siderthisrequirementforthefuture,theCommittee
alsowishestoexpressitsappreciationoftheExplana­
toryMemorandum totheProposal,particularlyinits
emphasisontheprimarygoalofdevelopingstrategies
forpreventionandrecycling,withaviewtoreducing
theamountofwastefordisposalbylandfill.2.7.Afurtheraspectmeritingattentionisthestate
ofresearchandtechnicalprogressinthisfield.Inthe
UnitedStatesofAmerica,forexample,thestateof
knowledgeonlandfillandthedecomposition processes
involvedisbeingexpandedwithcontributionsfroma
newdiscipline,'landfillarchaeology'.2.3.OnthebasisofDutchandAustrianexperiences,
theCommitteecallsontheCommission toconsider
whetherpreventionpoliciesmightnotbestrengthened
byaclearerstatementofreductiondeadlinesandtargets
atthesourceoftheproblemandbyprogressivedissemi­
nationofrecoveryandrecyclingtechnologies .This
approachisclearlyapplicabletobothmunicipaland
industrialwaste.Thepromotionofdifferentiated col­
lectionisessentialformunicipalwasteinorderto
separatesubstancessuchassolvents,medicines,glass,
electricbatteries,etc.2.8.TheCommitteeregretsthattheproposalmakes
nomentionofinitialandin-servicetrainingoflandfill
personnel:competent,qualifiedmanagement isan
essentialelementintheprotectionoftheenvironment
fromtheriskswhichmayarisefromthisactivity.
(')InterpretedasbroadlyaspossibleasdescribedintheOwn­
initiativeOpinionESC1052/90(OJNoC332,31.12.1990).2.9.Lastly,theCommitteeconsidersitessentialto
setuppublicinformationandconsultationmachinery,

NoC40/114 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 17.2.92
respectingtheprincipleoffreedomofenvironmental
information,andespeciallyinviewoftheconcernsover
harmfuleffectsfrequentlyvoicedbylocalresidents
directlyaffectedbylandfillsites.3.4.Article10
3.4.1.Moregenerally,theCommitteewouldaskthe
Commissiontoexamineinthegreatestdetailauthoriz­
ationtomixdifferenttypesofwaste,giventheenviron­
mentalriskspresentedbythispractice;theappropriate
authoritiesshouldstrictlyenforcethecompatibilitycri­
teriasetoutinAnnex3.6.
3.Specificcomments 3.4.2.Theacceptanceproceduresdescribedin
Article11meritendorsement :however,itshouldbe
specifiedin2.b)thatstaffcarryingoutinspectionand
controlfunctionsmustbeproperlyqualified,byadding
'bystaffqualifiedforthesetasks'.Thecontrolpro­
ceduresinoperationandaftercarephases(Art.12)and
theclosureprocedures (Art.13)arelikewiseendorsed.3.1.Article3
3.1.1.TheCommitteerecommendsclarifyingthe
definitiongivenin(j)byreplacingtheword'water'
with'liquid'.3.5.Article13
3.5.1.Inl.b),theterm'siteoperator'issuggested
insteadof'ownerofthesite'.
3.5.2.Similarly,inpoint5,thephrase'theoperator
shallbeincharge'shouldbeclarifiedbyinserting'or
thepersonwhotakesovertheclosedsitefromthe
operator'between'operator'and'shallbeincharge
of.3.2.Articles6,7,8and9
3.2.1.TheCommitteeconsiderstheproceduresfor
permissionandnotificationofwastenotacceptablefor
landfilltobeadequate;nevertheless,itrecommends
thatappealproceduresagainstdecisionsmadebythe
appropriateauthoritiesbeprovided.
3.3.Article93.6.Article14
3.6.1.TheCommitteerecommendsthatthecivil
liabilityoftheoperatorbekeptstrictlyinlinewiththe
draftdirectiveoncivilliabilityfordamagecausedby
waste,currentlyincourseofadoption(!).
3.7.Article15
3.7.1.TheCommitteeispleasedtonotethat
Article15(2)and(3)providesexistinglandfillsiteswith
atransitionalperiodtomeetstandards,butasksthat
thewordingofArticle15(1)bemademoreclearand
coherent.3.3.1.Alandfillshouldbeseenasadisposalplant,
thecentreofwhichmaybeportrayedasabiological
reactorwhichmustbecarefullycontrolledlestit
becomenotentirelypredictable .
3.3.2.ThiswouldleadtheCommitteetoagreewith
theCommission'sproposedbanonliquidwastetosites
forthejointdisposalofvarioustypesofwaste,except
whereabsolutelynecessarydependingprimarilyon
meteorological conditionsandthecontinuationofpro­
peron-sitedecomposition processes.TheCommittee
stressestheneedforstrictobservanceofthecompati­
bilitycriteriareferredtoinAnnex4.
3.3.3.TheCommitteealsourgesthatspecialatten­
tionbepaidtomeasurestocollectandremoverain­
water.Thepurposeistoreducepercolatetoaminimum
atsource:itscollectionandsubsequenttreatmentrep­
resentoneoftheheaviestoperatingcosts,butare
necessaryinordertoreducetheriskofpollutionto
groundwater .
3.3.4.TheCommitteealsowelcomestheexclusion
ofinfectiouswaste,whichcouldgiveriseinwastefills
tothegrowthofpathogenicmicro-organisms ,despite
thereducingenvironment .3.8.Article16
3.8.1.TheCommitteeacknowledges theimpossi­
bilityofachievingEurope-wideharmonization ofcosts,
inviewofthewidely-differing geologicalconditions
amongMemberStates.Itbelieves,nevertheless,that
harmonization ofenvironmental protectionstandards
andtheireffectiveimplementation willhelptoreduce
divergencesindisposalcosts.TheCommissioniscalled
(i)ESCOpinioninOJNoC112,7.5.1990.

OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC40/115 17.2.92
upontocollectaggregatenationaldata,usingthe
annualreports,ondisposalcostsandondisposalcosts
pertonneforeachlandfilloperation,soastobuildup
adetailedstatisticalpicture.
3.9.Articles17and18
3.9.1.Articles17and18raisetheseriousandcontro­
versialmatterofthefinancialguaranteeorequivalent
whichtheoperatorisrequiredtoprovidetocover
closureandaftercareoperations,anysitemaintenance
andrepairsrequiredfollowingclosure,orunforeseeable
operatingproblemsduringasite'sactivelife.Article18
providesfortheestablishmentofnationalLandfill
AftercareFunds.TheCommitteealsourgesthat
thoughtbegiventodirectingadequatefundstooper­
atortrainingandpublicinformation .
3.9.2.TheCommitteebelievesthatadifferential
scaleofoperatorchargesshouldbeindicated,
dependingonthetypeofwastedisposedofatthe
landfillsite.
3.9.3.However,landfillsitemanagementshould
neverpursueeconomicefficiencyobjectivesatthe
expenseoftheprimaryaimofshieldingtheenvironment
andhealthfactorsfrompollution.
3.10.Article19
3.10.1.Inthelightoftheneedsreferredtoinpoints
2.4and2.5above,theCommitteecallsfortheinfor­
mationMemberStatesaretoforwardintheirannualreportstobespelledout.Thefollowingitemsinparticu­
larshouldbeincluded:
—specificdataoneachlandfilloperation(location,
typesandamountofwaste,disposalcostpertonne,
catchmentarea,etc.),
—aggregatenationaldata(typesandamountofwaste
disposedof,overallcost),
—plansfornewlandfillsites,
—closedlandfills,
—technicalandfinancialactivitiesoftheLandfill
AftercareFund.
4.CommentsontheAnnexes
4.1.Annex1,6.3
TheCommitteesuggestsintroducingnight-timesuper­
visionoflandfillsforhazardouswaste,butalsofor
landfillrisksingeneral.
4.2.Annex3
TheCommitteecallsfortheformulationofspecific
criteriaforundergroundandcavedepositstobecon­
sidered.
4.3.Annex4,4
TheCommitteefailstounderstandwhymunicipal
wastehasbeenexcludedfromthecontrolprocedures
oneluatecriteria.
DoneatBrussels,27November1991.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
FrancoisSTAEDELIN