Toxic Waste (Hansard, 17 December 1992)

§ Mr. Maclean

[holding answer 14 December 1992]: The main issue discussed at the first meeting of the contracting parties to the Basel convention was that of movements of waste from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries to developing countries. The conference adopted a decision containing the following key elements: a request that industrialised countries prohibit transboundary movements for disposal to developing countries; agreement that, until the conference takes further action and until the convention is reviewed in 1995, transboundary movements for recovery and recycling operations take place in accordance with the provisions of the convention an in particular with the requirement that waste be handled in an environmentally sound manner; and a request to developing countries to prohibit the import of hazardous wastes from industrialised countries. The United Kingdom presidency, on behalf of the European Community, made a statement explaining the European Community's position as set out in the recently agreed waste shipments regulation. The statement said that the regulation will prohibit exports for disposal except to European Free Trade Association countries and will strictly control exports for recovery to ensure the environmentally sound management of that waste in developing countries. The statement noted that Denmark, under its presidency of the European Community, would seek to promote a ban on the export of waste from the European Community to all developing countries.

Other decisions established a useful platform for work leading to the second meeting of the parties planned for February/March 1994. The conference decided on an open-ended ad hoc committee which will consider proposals on liability and compensation, a revolving fund for emergencies, technical guidelines and regional training centres for developing countries.