After publishing an article (on the 8th of July) on the deal between Morocco and Italy, on the importation of 5,800 tons of Italian wastes, and after publishing the legal analysis which Environment Consultant at greenarea.info and the President of IndyAct Dr. Naji Kodeih requested from the Basel Action Network (BAN), we are publishing the updates on this issue, and specifically tackling what the Environment Minister of Morocco Hakima el-Haiti announced.
While BAN’s legal analysis stated that “In sum, the proposed export of waste as described in the referenced media report, contravenes the international legal obligations of Italy and Morocco,” many people in Morocco are still criticizing the “deal” of the importation of the Italian trash believed that the waste had originated from Campania, a region of Italy proven to contain toxic waste.
Morocco World News mentioned that Their protests were largely focused on the environmental consequences of burning this potentially toxic material. Others criticized the government for allowing the Kingdom to serve as Europe’s trash bin, exploiting the environment and dignity of their land. Outrage renewed on Friday when a ship carrying 3,300 tons of French garbage landed in Casablanca.
El-Haiti: I won’t Resign
Moroccans were also calling the Environment Minister el-Haiti’s resignation.
El-Haiti held a press conference on Monday to defend her decision to allow these importations. Emphasizing that the practice is widespread, el-Haiti told reporters that the Kingdom imports 450,000 thousand tons of garbage each year.
She noted that the waste is from the Pescara region, not Campania,and is not hazardous. The waste was tested twice by an internationally-certified lab to ensure it complied with RoHS standards of toxicity and Basel Convention regulations. El-Haiti told the reporters that she will not resign.
Back to BAN’s Legal Analysis
Let’s get back to BAN’s legal analysis which states that “Under the EU waste shipment regulation, no wastes listed in Annex V can be exported to a non-OECD country like Morocco,” adding “This would mean that no “wastes collected from households” can be exported. “Green” listed wastes such as used tyres being exported for energy recovery could be exported subject to approval from the Moroccan government”.
BAN’s statement continues: “However, because Morocco is a Party to the Izmir Protocol of the Barcelona Convention, it is forbidden to import any waste possessing a hazardous characteristic or listed on its Annex I (which includes “wastes collected from households”). And as it is forbidden to import, Italy is likewise under the terms of the Basel Convention obligated to respect the recipient country’s import ban and prohibit export to it”.
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