COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Our waste, our responsibility: Waste shipments in a clean and more circular economy
Date: 2021-11-17
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Subjects: EU environmental policy, circular economy, cross-border transport, environmental offence, export (EU), illicit trade, international cooperation, intra-EU transport, waste, waste management

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 17.11.2021  COM(2021) 708 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Our waste, our responsibility:          Waste shipments in a clean and more circular economy       
 
 
1.  INTRODUCTION 

A robust and integrated market for secondary raw materials is a cornerstone of a well-
functioning  circular  economy.  Treating  waste  as  a  resource  requires  facilitating  its 
circulation so that it can provide valuable flows of materials in support of more sustainable 
and resilient production, remanufacturing and reuse. This will contribute to fulfilling the EU 
climate  objectives  laid  down  in  the  Climate  Law1 and  the  EU's  “Fit  for  55”  package  of 
legislative  proposals  to  reduce  greenhouse  gas  (GHG)  emissions  by  55%  by  2030,  as 
compared to 1990 levels.  

Today  only  12%  of  raw  materials  used  in  EU  industry  come  from  recycling.  While 
shipments  of  waste  for  recovery  in  the  EU  have  steadily  increased  in  the  last  decade,  too 
many waste materials are still not prepared for reuse or recycled in new products in the EU, 
representing  a  considerable  loss  in  its  transition  to  a  circular  economy.  Every  year,  the  EU 
exports around 33 million tonnes of waste. This represents around 16% of the total of global 
trade  in  waste,  making  the  EU  one  of  the  top  exporters  of  waste  worldwide.  The  EU  also 
imports 16 million tonnes of waste, while 70 million tonnes of waste is traded within the EU. 
The  EU  relies  heavily  on  exports  for  a  number  of  waste  streams,  in  particular  ferrous  and 
non-ferrous metal scrap, paper waste, plastic waste, textile waste and glass waste. 

EU exports of waste have increased by 75% since 2004, with almost half of it destined 
for  non-OECD  countries.  This  has  generated  increased  pollution  linked  to  the  unsound 
treatment  of  some  of  this  waste  in  many  destination  countries.  Large  volumes  of  waste 
exported  from  the  EU  end  up  in  open  dumpsites  or  are  burnt  in  open  air,  where  they 
contaminate  air  and  water,  harm  public  health  and  emit  substantial  amounts  of  greenhouse 
gas.  This  is  particularly  problematic  in  developing  and  emerging  countries,  which  already 
face important challenges in dealing with their domestic waste and are expected to experience 
the  highest  growth  in  waste  generation  in  the  future.  The  leakage  into  the  ocean  of  plastic 
waste  exported  abroad  has  also  become  a  major  source  of  marine  pollution.  An  increasing 
number  of  countries  have  introduced  restrictions  or  bans  on  the  imports  of  waste,  notably 
China,  which  used  to  be  the  largest  importer  of  plastic  and  paper  waste  from  the  EU, 
followed by other major importers of EU waste in Southeast Asia.  

Furthermore, waste trafficking is one of the most serious forms of environmental crime 
and an area in which organised crime networks are active, both for intra-EU and extra-
EU shipments of waste. Coordinated enforcement campaigns indicate that between 15% and 
30% of waste shipments might be illegal, amounting to EUR 9.5 billion annual revenues from 
the illicit waste market in the EU. In addition to environmental harm, waste trafficking also 
poses  security  threats,  particularly  in  situations  when  criminal  groups,  involved  in  such 
shipments, are spread across several countries. It is therefore paramount that the the EU and 
the  Member  States  make  the  fight  against  waste  trafficking  a  higher  priority  among 
enforcement  agencies, improve cooperation between  all relevant  authorities and ensure that 
sanctions against criminal activities in the waste sector are truly deterrent.  

These developments have exposed the fragility of a business model where the export of 
waste has become a common way of dealing with some waste streams generated in the 
EU. It is essential for the EU to take greater responsibility for its own waste, ensure that 
a high level of environmental protection is preserved and that the polluter pays.  

1 COM(2020) 80 final  

1 

 
 
 
                                                      
Modernising  the  EU  policy  and  legislation  on  waste  shipments  and  a  shift  to  digital 
solutions will encourage more shipments of waste to be sent for preparation for re-use 
and recycling in the EU and will provide incentives to reduce waste generation. This will 
result in improved security of supply for the industrial ecosystems in the EU2, reducing their 
dependence on the use of primary  raw materials including critical raw materials, encourage 
their full integration in circular models and lower their carbon footprint. A good example in 
this  regard  is  the  steel  industry,  identified  in  the  Commission’s  new  industrial  strategy  for 
Europe3 as a priority among the energy intensive industries for the transition to a circular and 
climate neutral European economy4. Higher uptakes of scrap are key to decarbonise the steel 
sector,  as  using  1  tonne  of  steel  scrap  saves  around  1.5  tonne  of  greenhouse  gas  (GHG) 
emissions compared to using iron ore. The use of scrap for the production of aluminium or 
copper results also in less GHG emissions, pollution and energy use.   
The European Green Deal5, the new Circular Economy Action Plan6 and the Zero Pollution 
Action  Plan7 have  called  on  the  European  Commission  to  propose  a  new  approach  to  EU 
shipments  of  waste.  Citizens  are  also  explicitly  requesting  the  EU  to  combat  the  waste 
problem  and  to  foster  recycling  -  a  demand  that  is  clearly  expressed  in  the  context  of  the 
Conference  on  the  Future  of  Europe.  This  Communication,  which  accompanies  the 
Commission  proposal  for  new  rules  on  the  shipment  of  waste8,  sets  out  the  EU’s  priority 
actions designed to ensure that: 

  Shipments  of  waste  for  preparation  for  reuse  and  recycling  in  the  EU  are 

facilitated; 

  The EU does not export its waste challenges to third countries; and 

  Illegal shipments of waste are more effectively addressed. 

2.  NEW  EU  RULES  ON  WASTE  SHIPMENTS:  TOWARDS  VIRTUOUS 

CIRCLES IN THE EU AND BEYOND 

2.1. Unlocking the potential of the EU internal market 

The EU has comprehensive legislation and an ambitious agenda to reduce waste generation 
and transform waste into resources. The guiding principle for the revision of the EU rules on 
waste  shipments  proposed  by  the  Commission  is  to  build  a  strong  and  resilient  circular 
economy  by  reducing  unnecessary  barriers  and  burdens  that  currently  hinder  a  smooth 
circulation  of  reusable  products  and  secondary  raw  materials  in  the  EU.  The  Commission 
proposes to facilitate waste shipments in the internal market of the EU by: 

  A  closer  alignment  of  waste  shipment  rules  with  the  waste  hierarchy.  The 
Commission  proposes  to  set  much  stricter  rules  for  shipments  of  waste  destined  for 
landfilling or incineration in another Member State. It also proposes to strengthen the 
links between the rules on waste shipments and the waste management plans set up by 
Member States to achieve their  prevention and waste management targets under EU 

2 COM(2020) 474 final. 
3 COM(2021) 350 final. 
4 SWD(2021) 353 final. 
5 COM(2019) 640 final. 
6 COM(2020) 98 final. 
7 COM(2021) 400 final. 
8 COM(2021) XXX final 

2 

 
 
 
                                                      
law.  This  should  incentivize  shipments  of  waste  for  preparation  for  re-use  and 
recycling and support growth, jobs and innovation in these sectors.  

  A  shift  to  digital  solutions  for  issuing  and  exchanging  the  information  and 
documents  required  for  shipping  waste  between  EU  Member  States.  All  actors 
involved in waste shipment, both public and private, will be able to submit and access 
information through online tools. This will speed up the exchange of documents and 
replace  the  current,  mostly  outdated  paper-based  procedures  and  allow  for  better 
monitoring and control of transboundary waste flows.  

  The improvement of the fast-track procedure for shipments of waste. Harmonised 
conditions  would  be  set  up  to  facilitate  shipments  to  recovery  facilities,  which  are 
subject  to  pre-consents  by  the  competent  authorities,  and  to  ensure  that  they  are 
mutually  recognised  by  all  Member  States.  This  will  speed  up  shipments  to  waste 
recovery facilities which operate according to high-quality standards. 

  A  more  harmonised  classification  of  waste  shipped  within  the  EU.  The 
Commission  proposes  that  criteria  used  to  classify  some  waste  streams,  such  as 
contamination  thresholds,  are  agreed  at  the  EU  level.  This  will  address  the  current 
fragmentation of the EU’s internal market where Member States have diverging views 
on whether specific waste streams should be subject to the EU’s notification regime, 
and consequently apply different rules for their shipment.  

These measures will facilitate improving the circularity of products and materials and provide 
incentives  for  investments,  as  well  as  for  the  development  and  deployment  of  new 
technologies  across the  value chains.  They  will encourage the  waste sector to  accelerate its 
modernisation, extend its capacity to deal with additional waste, notably plastics and textile 
waste,  and  engage  in  high-quality  recycling,  while  the  manufacturing  industry  will  benefit 
from increased availability of recycled materials for their production.  

The  unprecedented  level  of  public  financial  support  for  investments  to  help  businesses  and 
industries recover from the crisis linked to the COVID-19 pandemic put in place by the EU 
provides considerable opportunities for all actors in the waste sector, mostly SMEs, and the 
industries processing waste to accelerate the transition to the circular economy.  

2.2. Stopping the export of waste challenges outside the EU 

The  current  EU  legislation,  in  addition  to  banning  the  export  of  hazardous  waste  to  non-
OECD countries, sets out that waste can only be exported outside the EU if they are managed 
sustainably  in  the  countries  of  destination,  under  conditions  that  are  broadly  equivalent  to 
those in the EU. The lack of clear provisions and mechanisms to implement this key principle 
has  led  to  its  weak  enforcement.  In  practice,  since  the  current  Waste  Shipment  Regulation 
was adopted in 2006, exports of waste outside the EU have surged, with few or no controls 
on whether they are treated sustainably in the countries of destination. This is in particular the 
case for non-hazardous waste (‘green-listed’ waste), the exports of which are not subject to 
any prior authorization from the relevant authorities.  

The Commission proposes to introduce a strong regime governing the export of waste outside 
the EU, based on the following measures:  

  Restricting  the  export  of  all  waste  to  non-OECD  countries.  The  EU  exports  of 
‘green-listed’  waste  should  be  authorized  only  for  those  non-OECD  countries  that 
explicitly  notify  the  EU  of  their  willingness  to  receive  EU  waste  exports  and 

3 

 
 
 
demonstrate their ability to treat this waste in an environmentally sustainable manner. 
These third countries will be included in a list of countries to which export of green-
listed waste would be authorized. The list  will be drawn up by the Commission and 
export will not be possible for countries and waste not included therein. 

  Step  up  the  monitoring  of  EU  waste  exported  to  OECD  countries.  Countries 
adhering to the OECD have to undergo a screening process with respect to their waste 
management systems. OECD countries generally have laws and practices designed to 
ensure  that  waste  is  sustainably  managed  and  shipments  of  waste  between  OECD 
countries are subject to a specific international legal regime9. Therefore, the measures 
to  ensure that EU waste exports do not cause environmental harm in  third countries 
which  are  OECD  members  should  be  proportionate  and  cannot  foresee  general 
restrictions  such  as  those  for  non-OECD  countries.  The  Commission  proposes  that 
such  exports  should  be  monitored  and  if  there  are  concerns  that  certain  exports  are 
likely to cause environmental damage in the country of destination, it will engage in a 
dialogue with this country and, ultimately, suspend such exports of waste if this waste 
is not managed in an environmentally sustainable manner. 

  Require EU exporting companies to show that their exports are sustainable. It is 
also  essential  that  exporting  companies  assume  responsibility  for  their  exports.  The 
Commission  proposes  that  all  companies  exporting  waste  outside  the  EU  conduct 
independent  audits  in  the  facilities  to  where  they  ship  waste  in  order  to  ensure  that 
those facilities are operating in line with criteria showing that they manage waste in 
an  environmentally  sound  manner.  If  the  audits  show  that  this  is  not  the  case,  the 
companies should stop exporting their waste to the facility concerned.  

  Establish  clear  criteria  to  prevent  waste  from  being  falsely  exported  as  ‘used 
goods’.  This  would  allow  the  Commission,  working  with  relevant  stakeholders  and 
Member  States,  to  adopt  criteria  for  specific  problematic  wastes  in  order  to 
differentiate between used goods and waste. This will ensure that items, such as end-
of-life  vehicles,  waste  batteries  or  textile  waste,  which  are  often  labelled  as  used 
commodities,  are  not  exported  outside  the  OECD,  where  they  are  likely  to  create 
sizeable environmental and health damage. 

2.3. Addressing illegal shipments of waste more effectively 

The  Commission  proposes  to  include  the  following  provisions  in  the  EU  rules  to  address 
illegal shipments of waste: 

  Establishing an EU ‘waste shipment enforcement group’, to increase cooperation 
and  coordination  against  illegal  shipments  of  waste.  This  group  will  comprise 
environmental,  customs,  police  and  other  relevant  national  inspection  authorities,  as 
well  as  European  and  international  law  enforcement  networks 10.  It  will  focus  on 
illegal  shipments  of  waste  within  the  EU  as  well  as  outside  the  EU,  and  serve  as  a 

9 Decision of the OECD Council on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Wastes Destined for Recovery 
Operations (OECD/LEGAL/0266) 
10 This includes the European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law 
(IMPEL), Europol, Eurojust, the European Network of Prosecutors for the Environment (ENPE), the European 
Union Forum of Judges for the Environment (EUFJE), the Basel Convention, Interpol and the World Customs 
Organization (WCO). 

4 

 
 
 
                                                      
forum  to  share  best  practices  and  intelligence,  identify  EU  priorities  for  waste 
shipment enforcement and facilitate joint action between EU Member States. 

  Empowering  the  Commission  to  support  transnational  investigations  by  EU 
Member  States  on  waste  trafficking.  The  European  Anti-Fraud  Office  (OLAF) 
possesses relevant expertise in that regard and can support Member States’ authorities 
either  through  inspections  directly  carried  out  by  OLAF,  or  through  coordinating 
investigations carried out by different Member States. This will strengthen the overall 
enforcement capacity of the EU and its Member States and ensure more efficient use 
of  the  often  limited  resources  for  enforcement.  Similarly,  Eurojust  can  offer  its 
assistance and expertise to facilitate Member States’ transnational investigations when 
tackling  waste  management  and  support  the  exchange  of  best  practices  and  mutual 
approaches  in  order  to  promote  effectiveness  in  prosecution  and  strengthen  cross-
border investigations. 

  Strengthening  the  existing  rules  on  administrative  penalties  against  illegal 
shipment of waste. Common criteria for determining the types and levels of penalties 
to be imposed for infringements will make penalties more deterrent and consistently 
applied  across  the  EU.  These  criteria  would  include  the  nature  and  gravity  of  the 
infringement  and  other  factors  such  as  the  economic  benefits  derived  from  and  the 
environmental damage caused by the infringement, insofar as these can be determined. 
Member  States  should  take  these  criteria  into  consideration  when  establishing 
penalties for offenders.  

In addition, the Commission will propose a revision of the Environmental Crime Directive11, 
which will look at the possibility to set out new rules on criminal sanctions (including their 
levels) and other tools to help EU environmental law be more effectively applied. The revised 
Environmental  Crime  Directive  will  aim  to,  among  others,  improve  the  operational 
effectiveness  of  national  enforcement  chains  to  foster  investigations,  prosecutions  and 
sanctioning.  It  will  respond  to  the  low  rates  of  sanctioned  environmental  crimes  through 
dissuasive  and  proportionate  sanction  types  and  levels,  facilitating  the  work  of  national 
judicial authorities. 

3.  INTERNATIONAL  COOPERATION  FOR  MORE  SUSTAINABLE  WASTE 

MANAGEMENT   

Waste management remains one of the most critical environmental challenges for our planet. 
This is particularly the case for emerging and developing countries, where rapid urbanisation 
and improved living standards are expected to lead to a sharp increase in waste generation. In 
many of them, policies, legislation and infrastructure are lacking or insufficient to deal with a 
surge  in  household  and  industrial  waste  generation.  The  large  quantities  of  waste  exported 
legally or illegally from the EU risk compounding the problems that these countries already 
face  in  managing  their  own  waste.  The  EU  should  therefore  make  it  a  priority  with  its 
international partners to better harness global trade in waste, improve waste management in 
third countries and tackle waste trafficking. 

3.1.Better harnessing global trade in waste 

11 OJ L 328, 6.12.2008, p. 28–37. 

5 

 
 
 
 
                                                      
The  EU  has  been  at  the  forefront  in  promoting  multilateral  initiatives  to  improve  waste 
management and better monitor international shipments of waste.  

The  exposure  to  negative  environmental  impacts  linked  to  the  growing  volume  of  plastic 
waste  exported  to  developing  countries  led  the  187  Parties  to  the  Basel  Convention  on  the 
control  of  transboundary  movements  of  hazardous  wastes  and  their  disposal  to  adopt  new 
global rules governing the trade in plastic waste in 2019. Going beyond the Basel Convention, 
since 2021 EU rules have banned the export of unsorted plastic waste from the EU to non-
OECD countries12. 

Ongoing  work  on  plastic  waste  will  remain  a  high  priority  and  the  Commission  will 
scrutinise export of plastic waste to ensure that the new rules in the Basel Convention 
are  properly  implemented.  The  Commission  will  also  pay  particular  attention  that  plastic 
waste which used to be exported outside the EU is not re-routed to EU Member States which 
do  not  have  sufficient  capacity  to  treat  it  in  a  sustainable  manner.    The  Commission  will 
provide a report on shipments of plastic waste in 2023.  

Building on the recent decisions in the Basel Convention on trade in plastic waste, the 
EU will continue to support multilateral institutions taking a leading role in addressing 
global  challenges  linked to the shipment of waste, notably through the United Nations 
Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Basel Convention. The Commission will take 
a particularly active role in defining further adequate global rules and requirements on trade 
in waste which poses particular challenges to the environment and public health, in particular 
as regards: 

  Strengthening the control of international trade in e-waste in the context of discussion 
of a proposal to clarify its status and better monitor its international trade at the Basel 
Convention in 2022; 

  Supporting global action on the export of used vehicles, to prevent polluting and non-
roadworthy used vehicles from being shipped to developing countries, building on the 
initiatives taken by African countries on importing second-hand cars; 

 

Increasing transparency  and sustainability in  global  trade in  textile  waste  and  used 
textiles;  

  Examining the possibilities to place additional waste under the control of the Basel 
Convention,  once  there  is  evidence  that  the  current  trade  patterns  of  these  waste 
streams are unsustainable; 

  Continuing its efforts to modernise the Basel Convention, notably by ensuring better 
functioning  of  the  notification  procedure,  encouraging  the  uptake  by  the  Parties  of 
digital solutions to exchange information, and working further on the classification of 
waste treatment operations and the hazardous characteristics of waste.  

The  EU  will  also  promote  the  improvement  of  the  OECD  legal  framework  on  the 
shipments of waste13. This should be done by including clear provisions that reflect the need 
for  each  OECD  country  to  put  in  place  waste  treatment  operations  which  are  in  line  with 
environmentally  sound  management  criteria,  as  well  as  to  ensure  appropriate  control  and 
inspection on waste shipments.  

12 OJ L 433, 22.12.2020, p. 11–19. 
13 OECD/LEGAL/0266.  

6 

 
 
                                                      
At  the  bilateral  level,  the  EU  will  be  intensifying  its  cooperation  on  issues  of  common 
interest related to waste shipments. It will do this through its dialogues on the environment 
with  third  countries  and  regions,  as  well  as  in  the  context  of  the  sustainable  development 
chapters  of  the  EU  bilateral  and  region-to-region  trade  agreements,  in  line  with  the  overall 
EU objectives to increase the sustainability dimension of its trade policy14.  

The  EU  will  continue  to  engage  closely  with  citizens,  who  explicitly  insist  that  the  EU 
tackles the waste problems and fosters recycling, as well as work with and support the 
actions  of  civil  society  organisations.  These  organisations  are  instrumental  in  raising 
awareness  of  the  challenges  facing  the  environment  and  public  health  linked  to  the  waste 
shipments to third countries, and in attempting to address these challenges.  

3.2. Improving waste management and the circular economy in third countries 

The  EU  will  continue  to  pursue  its  ‘Green  Deal  diplomacy’,  effectively  using  its 
influence at global level to promote better waste management and the uptake of circular 
economy  models  worldwide.  This  includes  providing  expertise  and  financial  resources  to 
scale up international partnerships and action in and with third countries. This is a top priority 
in the EU’s multilateral environmental agenda, especially in the United Nations Environment 
Assembly (UNEA), G20, G7, and the OECD, in multilateral environmental agreements like 
the  Basel,  Rotterdam,  Stockholm  and  Minamata  Conventions,  as  well  as  the  International 
Resources  Panel.  The  EU  has  been  instrumental  in  putting  together  the  Global  Alliance  on 
Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE15), supported by the EU’s Partnership 
Instrument16,  which  is  also  encouraging  cooperation  with  different  regions  to  fight  plastic 
pollution  and  promote  the  transition  to  circular  economy  models.  The  EU  is  actively 
promoting the adoption of a global agreement on plastics in the context of UNEA. The EU is 
also engaging with regional alliances and coalitions on the circular economy that have been 
established in other regions, notably Africa17 and Latin America18.  

The EU is supporting specific work carried out in the Basel Convention to improve the 
management  of  a  series  of waste  streams,  especially  household waste,  plastic  waste,  e-
waste,  waste  batteries  or  waste  containing  persistent  organic  pollutants, either through 
developing  specific  technical  guidelines  or  through  global  partnerships  bringing  together 
stakeholders  and  countries  to  devise  concrete  solutions  to  waste  management  issues. 
Addressing marine litter will also remain a strong priority in multilateral fora like the Food 
and Agricultural Organization and International Maritime Organization. 

At the regional and bilateral levels, these priorities will be pursued with a particular focus 
on  the  Balkan  region,  the  Mediterranean  basin  (notably  Turkey,  which  is  by  far  the  largest 
destination of waste exported from the EU), the African continent, Southeast Asian countries 
and the Small Island Developing States in the Caribbean and the Pacific.  

These diplomatic activities will be underpinned by the inclusion of waste management and 
the circular economy in the multiannual programmes of many third countries in 2021-2027 
under the  Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance and the Neighbourhood, Development 
and  International  Cooperation  Instrument  ––  Global  Europe  (NDICI).  The  Commission 

14 COM(2021) 66 final.  
15 https://ec.europa.eu/environment/international_issues/gacere.html  
16 https://pimap.eu/  
17 https://www.aceaafrica.org/ 
18 https://www.coalicioneconomiacircular.org/en/elementor-7/inicio-english/ 

7 

 
 
 
                                                      
will  continue  to  support  multilateral  initiatives  that  aim  at  promoting  the  circular  economy 
and at improving the sustainable and safe management of waste, especially in the context of 
the  Basel  and  Stockholm  Conventions.  The  UNEP  Special  Programme  on  chemicals  and 
waste has also been instrumental in addressing pollution in developing countries. 

3.3. Mobilising all actors against transnational waste crime 

The Commission will increase its involvement against illegal shipments of waste and its 
support  to  all  those  involved  in  this  field,  so  that  it  can  become  a  higher  priority  for 
enforcement agencies across the EU. This is in line with the recently adopted EU strategy 
against  organised  crime,  as  well  as  the  priority  given  to  waste  trafficking  in  the  EU  policy 
against  organised  crime  for  2022-2025  as  part  of  the  European  Multidisciplinary  Platform 
Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) process19. 

The  Commission  intends  to  intensify  its  cooperation  with  IMPEL,  which  plays  a  key 
role  in  enforcement  cooperation  between  European  countries  against  illegal  waste 
shipments, and continue to assist Member States through a wide array of programmes 
and initiatives, namely, the Environmental Compliance and Governance Forum, the TAIEX-
EIR  PEER-2-PEER  programme,  and  the  EU  Environmental  Law  Training  Package.  The 
Commission  will  in  particular  encourage  enforcement  authorities  in  their  efforts  to  better 
address  waste  trafficking,  through  training  and  exchanges  of  best  practices  on  the  specific 
features  of  this  type  of  crime,  as  well  as  on  its  links  with  organised  crime,  corruption  and 
money laundering, on the use of specific investigative tools and prosecution, including on the 
added value of setting up specialised enforcement and prosecution offices for environmental 
offences.  

The Commission is committed to providing significant financial support to operational 
projects  that  directly  target  waste  trafficking,  focusing  on  particular  waste  streams  like 
plastic  or  e-waste20,  and  will  ensure  that  such  projects  continue  to  be  eligible  under  EU 
financial programmes like LIFE or the Internal Security Fund – Police. 

To scale up actions globally against illegal waste shipments, the EU will further engage 
with key partners and support global and regional cooperation, for instance through the 
EU’s  external  funding  instruments  combined  with  actions  taken  in  the  formats  of  Basel 
Convention,  Interpol21,  the  UN  Office  on  Drugs  and  Crime  (UNODC),  the  WCO  and  the 
Financial  Action  Task  Force  (FATF),  which  is  the  global  money  laundering  and  terrorist 
financing  watchdog.  For  example,  the  EU  provides  EUR  3  million  to  support  cooperation 
between  the  EU  and  Association  of  Southeast  Asian  Nations  (ASEAN)  against  waste 
trafficking. This is of key importance because of the high volume of waste shipments (both 
legal and illegal) between the two regions, and the challenges encountered in the past with the 
identification of illegal trade routes, the operators involved and the implementation of ‘take-
back’ measures, i.e. taking back illegal waste from Asia to EU Member States.  

The Commission will continue to work closely with civil society organisations, which are 
often at  the forefront  in  the battle against illegal  shipments  of waste and  the  environmental 
damage that they cause in third countries. 

19 Council document 8665/21.  
20 For example https://www.wasteforceproject.eu, http://www.lifesmartwaste.com, https://opfawaste-project.eu  
or https://www.sweap.eu/  
21 INTERPOL’s Environmental Security Programme works with agencies in MSs to prevent, detect and disrupt 
pollution crimes, including waste crimes, and dismantle the groups behind them,  
https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Environmental-crime/Pollution-crime  

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