By Emily Smith - 12th March 2004
European parliamentarians are set to vote on legislation dealing with almost a third of Europe’s waste, all coming from Europe's mines.
A proposal on what to do with the waste is set to come up for scrutiny in parliament’s environment committee on Tuesday.
The office of the MEP responsible for this proposal in parliament, Jonas Sjöstedt, says that new legislation is particularly important as ten new countries gear up to join the EU on May 1.
Standards for mining waste – which according to the European Environment Agency account for some 29 per cent of all EU waste – are notably lower in many eastern European countries than in the current member states.
Sjöstedt is suggesting that even closed and abandoned mines should have to be identified, and monitored where necessary.
The environment committee report would also like to make sure that all checks on waste facilities are carried out by independent authorities, and not simply by the company itself, as the original proposal would allow.
And where the proposal gives companies a certain transitional period to come into line with the new laws, Sjöstedt introduces measures to make sure that things do not deteriorate in this time.
That would mean that, where a company did not have to meet the EU standards until 2010 or 2012, it could not simply ignore them until this time but would have to at least maintain minimum standards.
Environmentalists broadly support most of Sjöstedt’s amendments but fear they may not be tough enough.
“The commission proposal is weak,” said Eva Royo Gelabert of green group WWF.
“MEPs should not vote for things that maintain the current status quo – strong legislation is needed.”
“The intrinsic dangers of mining waste and the high volumes in which it is produced are a bad combination.”
In particular they are concerned that the proposal does not cover certain types of ‘inert non-hazardous waste’ – such as for example some kinds of quarry waste.
These are not in themselves toxic, but can still damage or even destroy ecosytems if just dumped.
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