Answer given by Mr Vella on behalf of the European Commission
16.5.2019
The Commission is helping Member States[1] with less performing municipal waste management systems to ensure that such systems provide for sound separate collection of waste, sorting and recovery, or alternatively safe disposal. Both recovery and disposal operations should take place preferably in one of the nearest appropriate installations by means of the most appropriate methods and technologies to ensure a high level of protection for the environment and public health, as set out in Article 16 of Directive 2008/98/EC on waste[2] regarding principles of self-sufficiency and proximity. The same article provides that such principles shall not mean that each Member State has to possess the full range of final recovery facilities within that Member State.
As regards shipment of waste amongst Member States, the responsibility for such shipments lies with the national competent authorities. Pursuant to Article 11 of Regulation (EU) No 1013/2006 on shipment of waste[3], the competent authorities of the Member States of destination and of dispatch can raise objections to shipments of waste destined for disposal on grounds related, inter alia, to self-sufficiency and proximity. Directive 2008/98/EC (Article 12) does not provide such specific grounds for waste destined for recovery operations. However, the competent authorities of the Member States of destination and of dispatch may raise objections on the grounds of the shipment or recovery operation not being in accordance with national legislation relating to environmental protection, public order, public safety or health protection concerning actions taking place in the country raising objections.