Municipal Waste Compliance Promotion Exercise 2014-5 Executive Summary mmmll Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union. Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, phone boxes or hotels may charge you). LEGAL NOTICE This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://www.europa.eu). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2016 ISBN 978-92-79-60069-2 doi:10.2779/609002 © European Union, 2016 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Municipal Waste Compliance Promotion Exercise 2014-5 Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................. 2 Abstract .......................................................................................................... 3 Executive Summary.......................................................................................... 4 Background .................................................................................................. 4 Introduction to the project .............................................................................. 4 Method ........................................................................................................ 5 Detailed Country Analysis............................................................................. 5 Results......................................................................................................... 5 Key achievements....................................................................................... 6 Main findings of the problem analysis at national level...................................... 6 Main recommendations to improve national waste management systems ............ 7 June 2016 2 Municipal Waste Compliance Promotion Exercise 2014-5 Abstract This report presents the findings of the ‘Municipal Waste Compliance-Promotion Exercise 2014-2015’ project, which forms part of a broader strategy aiming to improve the compliance and implementation of EU waste legislation and supporting member states in achieving compliance. Following on from a previous study which involved a screening exercise of waste management practices in all member states and reviews of ten of the countries experiencing some difficulties complying with the EU acquis, this study undertakes detailed country reviews of a further eight EU member states (Ireland, Malta, Cyprus, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Hungary and Croatia). Country factsheets summarising each country’s performance with regards to legal compliance and their ability to meet targets, followed by a series of workshops with stakeholders, culminated in the production of eight roadmaps identifying the key challenges faced by each of the countries. The roadmaps further presented the member states with a list of actions required to improve their performance. The final stage of the project involved a high-level workshop with representatives from all the eight member states to discuss the findings from the project and to share best practice. June 2016 3 Municipal Waste Compliance Promotion Exercise 2014-5 Executive Summary Background Successful implementation and enforcement of EU waste legislation across all Member States is key to maximising the benefits from environmentally sound waste management. However, current implementation progress varies greatly from country to country - and there is a considerable gap in many Member States between national waste policy and actual waste management practices, and the results achieved. The Commission recently adopted a Circular Economy Package1 which proposes actions to stimulate Europe's transition towards a circular economy, whereby greater recycling and re-use are the main actions contributing to closing the loop. The proper implementation and enforcement of EU waste legislation is therefore a key priority of the European Commission; it is also vital for the growth of the waste and recycling industry. However, with increasing waste amounts, and large discrepancies in waste management practices across Member States, additional measures are required across the EU to improve implementation and related waste management systems.2 The need for close monitoring of national implementation and enforcement was highlighted in the Commission’s report on the Thematic Strategy on the Prevention and Recycling of Waste.3 The same report also stressed the importance of supporting Member States in designing strategies and policies that would help countries achieve compliance. Furthermore, the 7th Environment Action Programme also recognises the implementation gap by including as a priority objective 'to maximise the benefits of Union environment legislation by improving implementation' and foreseeing a number of actions. Introduction to the project The current project is part of a broader strategy aiming to improve the compliance and implementation of EU waste legislation, thereby supporting Member States in achieving compliance. It follows the ‘Support to Member States in improving waste management based on assessment of Member States’ performance’ project which was completed in 2013, which aimed at assisting the Commission in the practical implementation of the conclusions of the ‘Report on the Thematic Strategy on the Prevention and Recycling of Waste’. This three-phase project involved a screening of waste management practices in all Member States. The ten Member States identified to have the largest implementation gaps were then subjected to in-depth assessments of their situation, identifying challenges in complying with EU requirements. Based on these assessments, individual roadmaps with country-specific recommendations were developed. A high level seminar was subsequently organised to discuss actions already taken and to exchange best practice. The ‘Municipal Waste Compliance-Promotion Exercise 2014-2015’ follows on from the previous exercise, by undertaking similar 1COM(2015)/0614final available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal- content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52015DC0614 2 BiPRO (2013): Support to Member States in improving waste management based on assessment of Member States’ performance. Report prepared for the European Commission, DG ENV, May 2013, Accessed 27th June 2016, Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/framework/pdf/Final%20Report%20_130507. pdf 3 Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the Thematic Strategy on the Prevention and Recycling of Waste (SEC(2011) 70 final, 19.1.2011) June 2016 4 Municipal Waste Compliance Promotion Exercise 2014-5 comprehensive assessments of municipal waste management policy in a further eight Member States identified as requiring support from the screening exercise. Method The method employed in this project closely follows that of the previous exercise. The screening phase undertaken in the first project was relied upon to identify the Member States most requiring support, and was not repeated. Detailed country analysis was undertaken for the following eight Member States in the current study: • Croatia; • Cyprus; • Hungary; • Ireland; • Malta; • Portugal; • Slovenia; and • Spain. Detailed Country Analysis A thorough review of municipal waste management policy was compiled into a factsheet for each of the eight Member States, summarising each country’s performance with regards to compliance with legislation and technical content as well as their ability to meet targets. Based on these factsheets, eight separate workshops bringing together key stakeholders in each Member State were carried out. Measures to improve the waste management situation were discussed during these workshops. A particular focus of both the workshops and the performance reviews was a consideration of the practical implementation and enforcement of the legislation contained within the Waste Framework Directive and Landfill Directive, and a critical analysis of whether policies and strategies developed by the Member States were sufficient to deliver the required changes on the ground. The output from the workshops - along with the factsheets and further reviews of national and regional waste management plans and other relevant documentation - was used to develop the roadmap for each country, taking into account the comments provided by the authorities of each Member State. The roadmaps identified the actions required in each Member State to improve their performance. The last stage of the project included a final workshop with representatives from all of the eight Member States studied. The final workshop presented the key points that the Member States should take away from the process, and provided a forum in which to exchange best practice. Results A key feature of this exercise compared with the previous one is the greater difference between Member States with regards to performance against the targets. While the previous study focussed on the ten poorest performing Member States, this exercise includes some Member States that are performing well together with some that still have some way to go. However, with regards to the potential problems