Terabithia Press / Brussels / INFO: EU Directorate-General for Environment
In line with the European Green Deal and the second EU Circular Economy Action Plan, the new Waste Shipments Regulation establishes a new regime for the shipments of waste within the EU, as well as for imports and exports of waste into and from the EU.
The objective is to ensure that instead of exporting its waste problems to third countries the EU contributes to the environmentally sound management of waste, as well as better addressing the illegal trafficking of waste. The Regulation also introduces stricter rules on waste exports to non-OECD countries, including a full ban on the export of plastic waste from 21 November 2026. For other types of non-hazardous waste, non-OECD countries have to submit a formal request to the European Commission to continue importing such waste from the EU by 21 February 2025.
In this request, non-OECD countries must demonstrate their ability to manage the waste they wish to import from the EU in an environmentally sound manner under conditions equivalent to those applying in the EU. This includes providing detailed information and documentation, as outlined in Annex VIII of the Regulation.
A list of non-OECD countries that remain eligible for importing EU waste will be established based on the requests received before 21 February 2025. Later requests will not be disregarded but will be considered for updates to this list after 21 November 2026.
The list will be updated at least every two years. Exports of waste to non-OECD countries that are not included in the list will be prohibited from 21 May 2027. One request per country for all envisaged waste types must be submitted by the competent national authority designated by that country.
Requests can be submitted using the ‘Request for Inclusion’ form and must include detailed evidence supporting the country’s claims, structured according to the form’s guidance note. The request and all related documentation or other communication must be provided in English or with a translation in English. It must be submitted electronically to the following email address: ENV-WASTE-SHIPMENTS@ec.europa.eu.
Circular economy action plan
- The EU’s new circular action plan paves the way for a cleaner and more competitive Europe
The European Commission adopted the new circular economy action plan (CEAP) in March 2020. It is one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal, Europe’s new agenda for sustainable growth. The EU’s transition to a circular economy will reduce pressure on natural resources and will create sustainable growth and jobs. It is also a prerequisite to achieve the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality target and to halt biodiversity loss. The new action plan announces initiatives along the entire life cycle of products. It targets how products are designed, promotes circular economy processes, encourages sustainable consumption, and aims to ensure that waste is prevented and the resources used are kept in the EU economy for as long as possible. It introduces legislative and non-legislative measures targeting areas where action at the EU level brings real added value.
Objectives
Measures that will be introduced under the new action plan aim to
- make sustainable products the norm in the EU
- empower consumers and public buyers
- focus on the sectors that use most resources and where the potential for circularity is high such as: electronics and ICT, batteries and vehicles, packaging, plastics, textiles, construction and buildings, food, water and nutrients
- ensure less waste
- make circularity work for people, regions and cities
- lead global efforts on circular economy