International cooperation and alignment are very important when it comes to the enforcement of the European Waste Shipment Regulation (WSR). Previous and current Waste and Transfrontier Shipments (TFS) projects showed that it is essential to work together as competent authorities.
The upcoming Waste and TFS Conference on 16 and 17 October 2019 in Bucharest, Romania, aims to improve the collaboration and alignment of enforcement and frequent contact mainly between the European but also the African and Asian enforcement authorities. The conference is jointly organised by IMPEL and the Romanian National Environmental Guard, a key actor in the hosting country for implementing WSR and fighting illegal trafficking of waste.
The final agenda is available here.
The conference also aims to inform the participants about new developments. Stricter policies and controls in destination countries outside Europe, such as China, Vietnam and Thailand, are leading to a change in the waste shipments ‘landscape’. Exchanging of information and experiences on new trends are crucial for the inspections in Europe.
The theme of the Conference is “All about plastic waste”. Although there will be a strong focus on plastic waste, the Conference will offer much more. Among others, the Conference’s participants will receive relevant updates by IMPEL’s partner organisations such as the Basel Convention, The European Commission, ENPE and EUFJE. In addition, all current Waste and TFS projects as well as the partnership projects SPIDER WEB, LIFE SWEAP and WasteForce will be highlighted.
Finally and perhaps most importantly, the Conference offers a good opportunity for networking. Enforcers need structural, personal and frequent contact moments where they can strengthen their network, exchange experiences and best practices, discuss ongoing cases and align their WSR enforcement activities together. The Conference expects to welcome a large audience for this edition.