The EU Commission has published its proposal to the European Parliament on the restrictions it proposes to bring to the export of scrap, which is included in the green-listed wastes with the Waste Shipment Law.
The Commission did not propose a strict and overarching ban on scrap exports. The proposal defines the steps and rules needed to be more flexible and avoid possible bans. While the Commission envisages taking strict measures on scrap exports to non-OECD countries, including a ban on exports to countries that do not meet EU environmental standards, in OECD member countries, it is lighter if the export is tracked and conditions are not met (the scrap cannot be processed in an environmentally sustainable way). It proposes to encourage the provision of necessary conditions by making restrictions.
It is stated that non-OECD countries that meet the necessary environmental sustainability conditions in terms of their scrap processing capabilities will be included in the list of countries allowed for export by the EU, and wastes on the green list (non-hazardous wastes that were previously free to export) can be exported to the countries in this list. In the proposal, it is stated that the exporter who will export the scrap will also take the responsibility of meeting the "sustainability" conditions of the facility where the exported scrap will be processed.
Although the commission's proposal does not contain elements that will affect the current trade flow very much in the first place, the rules are expected to be gradually tightened in the coming years.
Turkey Can Take Advantage of the Decision
The data reveal that in the first 9 months of 2021, the EU27 exported 14.61 million tons of scrap outside the EU. The EU exported 11.19 million tons of this amount to OECD countries and 3.41 million tons to non-OECD countries. In the first 9 months of 2021, the biggest markets are Egypt, Pakistan, India, Moldova and Morocco in exports to non-OECD countries.
The EU made 87.3% of its exports to OECD countries and 66.9% of its total exports to all countries to Turkey. If 23.4% of the EU's total scrap exports are made out of OECD and Turkey has a high share of 87.3% among OECD countries, in the upcoming period, if 'environmentally sustainable scrap recycling' conditions are created in our country as defined in the EU criteria (see below). Although it doesn't seem like a significant problem for Turkey at the moment), it is considered that it is possible for Turkey to be the party that comes out of this decision advantageous and to get out of this process by further improving the scrap supply conditions.
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