New rules that are designed to prevent exports of illegal waste have been agreed by the European Council and Parliament.
If approved by the European Parliament on 17 April, the new rules will come into effect from 1 January 2016 with the aim of preventing port hopping where exporters of illegal waste choose to send their waste through countries with less stringent controls.
Under the new regime, by 1 January 2017, EU Member States will have to establish inspection plans, which must include as minimum requirements, the objectives and priorities of the inspections, the geographical area covered by the inspection plans and the tasks assigned to each authority involved in the inspections.
The inspection plans will also need to be based on a risk assessment and are to be regularly reviewed and updated at least every three years.
Member States will make publicly availably, including electronically, information related to inspections on an annual basis.
This will be reviewed by the European Commission in 2020.
