Decision (EU) 2019/638 on the position to be taken at the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal

Summary:

Council Decision of 15 April 2019 establishing the position to be taken on behalf of the Union with regard to proposed amendments to Annexes II, VIII and IX of the Basel Convention relating to shipments of plastic waste.

Further information:

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal entered into force in 1992. The Convention's cornerstone is a control system for the export, import and transit of certain waste. One of the items on the agenda at the fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties concerns a proposal submitted by Norway to amend Annexes II, VIII and IX of the Convention.

Under the proposal, non-hazardous plastic waste falling within a revised entry in Annex IX can continue to be traded between countries on the same conditions under the Convention as previously, while plastic waste requiring special consideration and hazardous plastic waste, in new entries in Annexes II and VIII respectively, will fall under the Convention's control system.

Background:

The European Plastics Strategy adopted in January 2018 states that international action is key to tackling the most significant sources of plastics litter in the oceans, i.e. insufficient waste management infrastructure in developing countries and emerging economies. The Plastics Strategy specifically mentions supporting action under the Basel Convention and ensuring that any plastics sent abroad for recycling are handled and processed under conditions similar to those applicable in the EU.

EUR-Lex: COM(2019)11: Proposal for a Decision on the position to be taken at the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2019:011:FIN

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