[pic] | COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES |

Brussels, 31.05.2005

COM(2005) 223 final

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL

on the progress of the pilot studies referred to in Article 4(3) and Article 5(1) of Regulation (EC) No 2150/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Councilof 25 November 2002 on waste statistics

INTRODUCTION

REGULATION (EC) NO 2150/2002 OF THE EUROPEAN PARL iament and of the Council of 25 November 2002 on waste statistics[1] (Waste Statistics Regulation) came into force on 29 December 2002. The Regulation establishes a framework for the production of Community statistics on the generation, recovery and disposal of waste.

Regular statistics on the production and management of waste from businesses and private households are required by the Community for monitoring the implementation of waste policy.

The Regulation was designed after careful consideration of the complexities and difficulties of producing waste statistics. During the process of developing this Regulation with the Council and the European Parliament, it was agreed that a number of pilot studies would be needed to clarify some fundamental issues concerning new areas of waste statistics. These areas are, in particular, statistics on waste generated in ‘Agriculture, hunting, forestry and fisheries’ (Article 4(3)), and statistics on the ‘Import and export of waste’ (Article 5(1)) for which no data is collected under the Waste Shipment Regulation[2].

The Waste Statistics Regulation stipulates in Article 8(3) that “ the Commission shall, within two years after the entry into force of this Regulation, submit to the European Parliament and the Council a report on the progress of the pilot studies referred to in Article 4(3) and Article 5(1). ”

This report meets this requirement.

In addition to the mandatory pilot studies, Member States are invited to carry out pilot studies on ‘Packaging waste’ (Annex I, Section 2(2)) and on ‘Preparatory operations’ (Annex II, Section 8(3)). The Commission will, if required, use the results and conclusions from these ‘voluntary’ pilot studies to adopt further necessary implementation measures.

The pilot study programme

The Commission has drawn up a programme of pilot studies to be carried out in Member States and candidate countries. Financial support is provided to assist the countries in carrying out the studies. Despite the difficulties and delays in setting up the programme, the Commission believes that a good start has been made and positive long-term effects are expected for each Member State and for the Commission.

Framework of the pilot studies

Statistics on import and export of waste

Article 5 of the Waste Statistics Regulation stipulates that the “... Commission shall draw up a programme for pilot studies on the import and export of waste to be carried out by Member States…”. On the basis of the conclusions of the pilot studies, the Commission is to inform the European Parliament and the Council of the possibilities of compiling statistics for the activities and characteristics covered by the pilot studies for import and export of waste.

One of the main questions to be addressed by the pilot studies on import and export of waste is the level of detail to appear in the statistics. This is related to a second question on how the reporting obligation of the Waste Shipment Regulation should be incorporated into the Waste Statistics Regulation. In other words, could the data on the import and export of (hazardous) waste reported under the Waste Shipment Regulation be used as an input for statistics?

A third question raised was how to collect data on the import and export of non-hazardous waste. Although this so-called “green” list waste is incorporated in the Waste Shipment Regulation, it does not fall under the reporting obligation.

In order to structure the work aiming for operational recommendations for a harmonised methodology, the terms of references are formulated as follows:

- General information concerning (environment) policy needs.

This concerns statistical data needs on imported and exported waste at EU and national level.

- Specific information on waste and data collection.

This concerns the existing data sources, the waste streams not covered by the Waste Shipment Regulation and what should be in the scope of the Waste Statistics Regulation, the aggregation of the reporting obligations, the mapping of possible data sources – especially for “green” list waste, and the inclusion of packaging waste.

- Conclusions and recommendations.

This concerns a proposal for a data collection method which is realistic and manageable and (possibly) country specific, but ensuring certain quality standards for the final data, being harmonised for use in all countries.

Statistics on waste from agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishery

In most countries no methodology existed for statistics on waste arising from the economic sectors agriculture, hunting, forestry (NACE A) and fishery (NACE B). Article 4(3) of the Waste Statistics Regulation provides for a pilot studies programme on waste from these economic activities with the objective of developing a methodology for regular data collection.

The difficulties in this area result from the fact that it is not clear which of the many residuals arising fall under the reporting obligations and which do not. Clear decisions and agreements on the identification of these wastes will need to be made during the implementation phase.

Furthermore, the statistical population within these economic activities is large and consists of many small farmers or firms, who often lack proper knowledge of the waste issue and do not keep full records. Data collection schemes have to be well developed and organised.

In order to structure the work aiming for operational recommendations for a harmonised methodology, the terms of reference are formulated as follows:

- General information concerning (environment) policy needs.

This concerns statistical needs in this area.

- Specific information on waste and data collection.

Description of waste management practices in these sectors, suggestions for waste categories to be included under these economic activities as well as proposals for classifying these categories according to the relevant waste nomenclature. Furthermore, existing data sources are to be mapped and estimation and modelling methodologies for the sectors are to be developed. Finally, the consequences of minimum thresholds for reporting (Article 3(2)) need to be considered.

- Conclusions and recommendations.

As for data on the import and export of waste, this concerns a proposal for a data collection method which is realistic and manageable and (possibly) country specific, but ensuring certain quality standards for the final data, being harmonised for use in all countries.

Results and experiences to date

A restricted call for proposals was sent out by official letter in May 2003, addressed to the European Statistical System (ESS), the National Statistical Institutes of the Accession Countries and the European Economic Area (EEA). Due to the particular situation (the late adoption of the financing decision for Eurostat in 2003), first grant agreements for pilot studies could only be concluded in December 2003. A second restricted call for proposals was sent out in October 2003; grant agreements were concluded in March 2004. At the time of preparation of this report in November 2004 most of the pilot studies are still being carried out.

Statistics on import and export of waste

Two studies related to import and export of waste have been finalised; in April 2005 all current studies will be terminated. Table 1 below provides an overview of the pilot studies on import and export of waste. In total, 10 countries participated in the programme, of which 3 are from the “new” Member States and accession countries. Most of the institutions participating in the pilot studies are National Statistical Institutes (NSIs), but environmental institutions are also participating (Ministries of Environment or National Environment Agencies).

Table 1: Pilot studies on statistics on import and export of waste

|Country |Community contribution (€) |Beneficiaries’ co-financing (%) |Duration (months) |Start |End | |1 |France |29,400 |0% |15 |Dec-03 |Mar-05 | |2 |Portugal |27,714 |20% |12 |Nov-03 |Nov-04 | |3 |Finland |40,000 |0% |12 |Dec-03 |Dec-04 | |4 |Germany |39,889 |18% |4 |Dec-03 |Apr-04 | |5 |Italy |40,000 |19% |8 |Mar-04 |Jan-05 | |6 |Sweden |39,698 |0% |5 |Mar-04 |Jul-04 | |7 |Slovak Republic |25,000 |0% |11 |Mar-04 |Feb-05 | |8 |Romania |24,800 |0% |12 |Mar-04 |Mar-05 | |9 |Luxembourg |35,550 |0% |12 |Apr-04 |Apr-05 | |10 |Malta |24,909 |0% |12 |Mar-04 |Mar-05 | |The results presented here are preliminary as most studies are still being carried out. The two studies already finalised consider foreign trade statistics as the most suitable data source to produce statistics on export and import of waste, in particular for the following waste types: metallic waste, plastic waste, paper and cardboard waste, glass waste, textile waste and combustion waste.

The general advantage of using available statistics based on common parameters and a harmonised nomenclature used by all Member States is, however, compromised by the fact that different thresholds, expressed in monetary value, are applied by Member States to reduce the administrative burden on businesses. This means that data is not fully comparable and may lead to an underestimation of the amounts of waste traded. Unfortunately, the respective nomenclatures for foreign trade statistics (Combined Nomenclature - CN) and waste (European Waste Classification for Statistics – EWC-Stat) are not comparable for all waste streams. For example, some CN codes include waste and products in the same code, whilst some codes contain wastes that are partially or fully covered by the reporting requirement of the Waste Shipments Regulation. Furthermore, foreign trade statistics do not provide direct information on the waste generating industry nor on the treatment that the waste is undergoing in the country importing it.

At the moment no other sources identified can complement the data collected under the Waste Shipment Regulation for waste streams other than those mentioned.

Statistics on waste from agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishery

As statistics on waste from these economic activities are not compiled on a regular basis in most Member States, special emphasis has been directed towards pilot studies on this subject. Table 2 below provides an overview of these pilot studies.

In late 2003 and beginning of 2004, 15 projects started to investigate the waste management practices and the respective data collection possibilities. The majority of the participating countries belong to the “old” Member States, 5 studies are being carried out by “new” Member States and one study is being conducted by the National Statistical Institute of a country belonging to the European Economic Area. By the beginning of November 2004, 4 studies were finalised and most of the remaining studies will finish in the beginning of 2005. Institutions participating in the pilot studies are National Statistical Institutes and environmental institutions (Ministry of Environment or Environment Agency).

Table 2: Pilot Studies on statistics on wastefrom agriculture, hunting, forestry and fisheries

|Country |Community contribution (€) |Beneficiaries’ co-financing (%) |Duration (months) |Start |End | |1 |Belgium |33,667 |0% |20 |Oct-03 |Jun-05 | |2 |Sweden |44,560 |10% |4 |Nov-03 |May-04 | |3 |France |48,000 |65% |15 |Dec-03 |Mar-05 | |4 |Finland |20,000 |0% |16 |Dec-03 |Apr-05 | |5 |Italy |30,481 |0% |8 |Dec-03 |Aug-04 | |6 |The Netherlands |39,484 |0% |9 |Dec-03 |Sep-04 | |7 |Austria |47,293 |18% |12 |Dec-03 |Dec-04 | |8 |Germany |40,000 |0% |8 |Dec-03 |Aug-04 | |9 |Norway |34,115 |15% |9 |Apr-04 |Dec-04 | |10 |Estonia |28,000 |0% |12 |Mar-04 |Feb-05 | |11 |Slovenia |29,900 |0% |8 |Mar-04 |Nov-04 | |12 |Slovak Republic |25,000 |0% |11 |Mar-04 |Feb-05 | |13 |Lithuania |25,694 |0% |12 |Mar-04 |Mar-05 | |14 |Latvia |23,058 |0% |12 |Mar-04 |May-05 | |15 |Italy |20,000 |0% |8 |Mar-04 |Nov-04 | | | | | | | | | |Statistics on waste from agriculture have proved to be very complex and are therefore given most attention. Terminology and definitions are crucial when comparing data over time and between countries. Furthermore, according to Section 1(2) of Annex II to the Waste Statistics Regulation, waste recycled on the site of generation is not covered by statistics on waste treatment. In addition, the agricultural sector is also a recipient of waste from other sectors. Municipal sewage sludge, composts and residues from anaerobic fermentation of biodegradable wastes are used as fertiliser and soil conditioner; waste from the food industry can be used for land treatment.

In the agriculture sector it is therefore necessary to clarify in detail which materials or substances fall under the waste statistics reporting obligations, which are the cases where wastes are recycled on the site of production and how to report on wastes generated by other economic sectors but treated within the agricultural sector.

As regards data collection, due to the large variety of waste types generated by these economic activities a combination of different methods will be most appropriate. The use of different registers or administrative systems for waste registrations seems most favourable. Waste factors connected to available activity data are also feasible, but require detailed studies for establishing reliable waste factors. Statistics available through regular farm surveys will be taken into account as a data source for the development of estimation models.

There are still a number of open issues for which clarification is expected through the remaining pilot studies.

FINANCIAL ASPECTS

ARTICLE 4(3) AND ARTICLE 5(3) OF THE WASTE STATISTICS REGULATION STIPULATES THAT “…The Commission shall finance up to 100% of the costs for conducting the pilot studies... ”. For the current pilot study programme a total budget of €816,212 is allocated, of which €326,960 is for pilot studies on export and import of waste and €489,252 is for pilot studies on waste statistics related to agriculture, hunting, forestry and fisheries.

Although the Regulation provides for financial support of up to 100% of the costs of conducting the studies, 7 out of 25 studies are co-financed by the beneficiaries. For the next call for proposals, in line with the Financial Regulation for the Community[3], co-financing of at least 10% by the beneficiary will be required.

Conclusions

The first results from the pilot studies on statistics on import and export of waste demonstrate that although foreign trade statistics have been identified as the best source they do not provide a full set of data that can be used to complement the data covered by the Waste Shipment Regulation. For a number of waste categories for which statistics are to be compiled a concrete solution has not been identified yet and therefore further studies would be necessary.

With regard to statistics on waste from agriculture, hunting, forestry and fisheries a large variety of waste streams have to be considered and the most crucial issue is to what extent bio-organic waste will be covered by waste statistics. Another essential aspect is the treatment of waste within the agricultural sector and the extent to which this is included in the waste statistics.

For both fields of pilot studies another call for proposals will be launched in 2005. The terms of reference will be adapted taking into account the experience acquired so far.

By the end of 2005 the Commission will inform the European Parliament and the Council about the possibilities of compiling statistics for the activities and characteristics covered by the pilot studies for import and export of waste as required by Article 5(4) of the Waste Statistics Regulation. At the same time, an update on activities and results related to waste from agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishery, on packaging waste and on preparatory treatment operations will be given.

[1] OJ L 332, 9.12.2002, p. 1, Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 574/2004 (OJ L 90, 27.3.2004, p. 15).

[2] Council Regulation (EEC) No 259/93 of 1 February 1993 on the supervision and control of shipments of waste within, into and out of the European Community, OJ L 30, 6.2.1993, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 2557/2001 (OJ L 349, 31.12.2001, p. 1).

[3] Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (JO L 248, 16.09.2002).