The Regulation (CE) 1013\/2006, of 14 June 2006, on shipments of waste, establishes the necessary requirements for the shipment of waste both within the European Union and with third countries. Additionally, the State Law 7\/2022, of 8 April, on waste and contaminated soils for a circular economy, assigns powers to the Autonomous Communities in terms of authorizing waste shipments, as well as inspection and sanctioning powers derived from this regime.<\/p>\n
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In this context, the Catalan Waste Agency (Ag\u00e8ncia de Residus de Catalunya) has approved a new Inspection Plan for cross-border waste shipments in Catalonia. Below, we detail the most important points:<\/p>\n
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1. Scope and duration<\/strong><\/p>\n The territorial scope is Catalonia, and the plan applies to waste shipments from or to countries belonging to the European Union. Inspection actions will be carried out in establishments, companies, traders, agents, or transporters involved in the shipment when the point of origin or destination is within Catalonia or during the shipment within Catalonia, by road or rail.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Plan is valid for 5 years and is reviewed every 3 years, updating whenever circumstances require.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2. Objectives and priorities of inspections, with mandatory risk assessment<\/strong><\/p>\n The main objectives of the Plan are as follows:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n a) Promote compliance with the objectives established in European, state, and Catalan regulations.<\/p>\n b)Verify the degree of compliance in cross-border waste shipments.<\/p>\n c) Detect and control illicit shipment activities, with special emphasis on those with higher environmental risk.<\/p>\n d) Achieve an optimal level of compliance with the legislation, through prevention and information.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 3. Indicative information about the inspections<\/strong><\/p>\n Scheduled inspections include operators importing\/exporting waste from or to EU states, as well as inspections in transit through Catalonia.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 4. Authorities, competencies, and personnel involved in the inspections<\/strong><\/p>\n The Waste Agency of Catalonia is the entity responsible for carrying out the shipment inspections, and annually, before the end of the third quarter of each year, it will send a report to the Sub-Directorate General of Waste of the Ministry to control waste shipments.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 5. Criteria for conducting inspections<\/strong><\/p>\n Inspection priorities are established in the annual programs, considering illicit shipments, shipment flows, and the nature of the waste. A risk assessment is conducted to determine the minimum number of required inspections. The following objective and subjective criteria are set for this risk assessment:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n These criteria are individually scored, with higher scores leading to more frequent inspections of the operator and their shipments. For example, hazardous waste scores 5 points, while non-hazardous waste scores 1 point.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Depending on the risk category (which is annual for all types), the inspection frequency will be as follows:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n