WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3320/97 by Alexandros ALAVANOS to the Commission. Illegal transport and dumping of nuclear waste
Date: 1997-10-20
Institutions: ALAVANOS, European Parliament
Subjects: Mediterranean Sea, dumping of waste, export of waste, illicit trade, marine pollution, maritime transport, radioactive pollution, radioactive waste, toxic substance, transport of dangerous goods

25. 5. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 158/65

This company(cid:146)s clients include 25 undertakings › in Italy alone › producing 3000 tonnes of waste per day.
12 vessels filled with waste have already been sunk in the Mediterranean, not far from the shores of the European
Union.

What is the official position of the Commission regarding these revelations and what immediate action will it
take before the Mediterranean is turned into a burial ground?

(98/C 158/83)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3320/97

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(20 October 1997)

Subject: Illegal transport and dumping of nuclear waste

Greenpeace has alleged that the transport and storage of nuclear and other toxic waste is now partly controlled by
illegal  organisations.  The  Italian  authorities  have  already  begun  investigations  into  illegal  dumping  in  the
Mediterranean.  The  file  published  by  Greenpeace  refers  to  the  multinational  company,  Oceanic  Disposal
Management (ODM), based in Lugano, a subsidiary of an organisation called (cid:145)The Network(cid:146) which is involved
in the illegal transport of the above waste and has offices in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Russia, the UK and
Switzerland.

Can the Commission:

1.  Provide information on the scale of the problem; and

2.  Say what measures it intends to take to identify the above illegal organisations?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-3234/97 and E-3320/97
given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(4 December 1997)

The Commission does not have the information published by Greenpeace, according to which responsibility for
transport and treatment of toxic and nuclear waste has fallen into the hands of the Mafia. Indeed the Commission
has no competence as regards criminal matters. The Commission is therefore unable to provide information on
the scale of the problem, but, on the basis of the information provided by the Honourable Members, it would
make the following observations.

The Convention for the protection of the Mediterranean Sea against pollution (Barcelona Convention) and its
Protocol for the prevention of pollution of the Mediterranean Sea by dumping from ships and aircraft entered into
force for the Community on 15 April 1978. Article 4 of the Protocol prohibits the dumping in the Mediterranean
Sea of radioactive waste and radioactive matter, as well as a broad range of other categories of hazardous wastes
listed in Annex I. The dumping of other categories of wastes into the Mediterranean Sea is not prohibited as such
but is subject to the issuing of a permit by the authorities, either a specific permit (for categories listed in Annex
II) or a general one.

In addition, as regards hazardous waste, Article 2.3 of Directive 91/689/EEC on hazardous waste (1) provides that
Member  States  shall  take  the  necessary  measures  to  require  that  on  every  site  where  tipping  or  discharge  of
hazardous waste takes place the waste is recorded and identified.

The company which Greenpeace holds responsible for the sinking of the vessels in the Mediterranean is based in
Lugano,  Switzerland.  Switzerland  is  not  a  member  of  the  European  economic  area  (EEA)  Agreement  and  is
therefore not obliged to apply Community legislation. Nevertheless, it appears that this company also has offices
in a number of Member States. In any case, any disposal operation such as release of waste into seas which is
carried out in an area under the jurisdiction of a Member State, would have to obtain a permit in accordance with
the provisions of Directive 75/442/EEC on waste (2).

As  regards  transboundary  movements  of  hazardous  waste,  these  are  regulated  by  Council  Regulation  (EEC)
No  259/93  on  the  supervision  and  control  of  shipments  of  waste  within,  into  and  out  of  the  European
Community (3) or by Council Directive 92/3/Euratom on the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive
waste between Member States and into and out of the Community (4) as regards radioactive waste. Pursuant to
Article 14 of this Regulation, exports of hazardous waste destined for final disposal out of the Community are
prohibited, except to EFTA countries.