EuRIC and the European association of non-ferrous metals producers and recyclers Eurometaux are calling on European policy makers to exempt intra-EU shipments of e-waste from the obligation of prior notification and consent when recent changes to the Basel Convention are incorporated in European law.
In 2022, amendments to the Basel Convention meant to more strictly control transboundary shipments of all types of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) were adopted at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (BC COP-15). The changes created new entries in the Annexes of the Convention, effectively making all transfrontier shipments of WEEE subject to the notification and consent procedure, also referred to as prior informed consent (PIC). The obligation, which goes into effect on 1 January 2025, will apply to waste equipment, but also to components stemming from dedicated e-waste recycling plants, needing further treatment, such as printed circuit boards, electric motors and compressors.
The Commission has drafted two delegated acts to make the necessary amendments – one to alter the current Waste Shipment Regulation and one to modify the 2024 revision of the WSR which, while adopted in March, does not fully supersede the 2006 WSR until 2026....
