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SLOVENIA THREATENS INTERNATIONAL TOXIC WASTE DUMPING BAN

Basel Action Network Press Release

Kuching, Malaysia. February 23, 1998. It has just come to the attention of the Basel Action Network and Greenpeace that the Slovenian government has made a very dangerous diplomatic move which threatens to destroy the most important environmental achievement since the Rio UNCED conference -- the international agreement within the Basel Convention to ban the export of hazardous wastes from OECD to non-OECD countries. The Basel Ban was passed in 1994 and was adopted as a proposed amendment to the Convention in 1995.

Now, in a letter to the Basel Convention Secretariat, dated 11 February, SLOVENIA has declared that they are a non-OECD country that wishes to join an Annex in the Basel Convention Amendment proposal currently made up of the EU, OECD and Leichtenstein which are allowed to trade in wastes with each other. By asking to join this Annex, Slovenia is not only declaring its intention to want to import hazardous waste, but is also threatening the very foundation of the internationally agreed ban. For it is certain that if countries are allowed to self-declare that should be allowed to receive toxic wastes from OECD countries, the ban is no longer a ban.

According to Greenpeace and the Basel Action Network, Slovenia will simply establish themselves as a dumping ground for OECD hazardous waste. The Basel Convention's Ban on hazardous waste export from OECD to non-OECD countries for all forms of disposal and recycling is the greatest environmental achievement since the UNCED Conference. Now Slovenia is prepared to sacrifice that agreement as well as their country's own sustainable development in order to import hazardous waste for recycling.

Slovenia's letter will be the subject of debate at the Fourth Conference of Parties to the Basel Convention which is taking place this week in Kuching, Malaysia.

"Slovenia must withdraw their request, said Jim Puckett of BAN. "Hazardous waste exports from rich to poor countries can never be seen as sustainable development. If we allow the rich, high-waste producing countries to export their wastes to developing nations to avoid the costs of waste minimization at home, the goals of clean production and waste prevention will never be realized."

For more information Contact:

Jim Puckett, Basel Action Network
E-mail: jpuckett@ban.org
Phone: 608245588
Fax: 6082425316 (room number 320)
Marcelo, Furtado, Greenpeace International
E-mail: mfurtado@dialb.greenpeace.org

NOTE: Transcript of Slovenian Government Letter to the Basel Secretariat

For copies of the original letter please contact Anjela Wilkes, Greenpeace International in Amsterdam at 31-20-523-6263.

 

Republic of Slovenia
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

No. 542/92

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia presents its compliments to the Secretariat of the Basel Convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal and has pursuant to the Paragraph 2 of the Article 17 of the said Convention the honour too propose the amendment of the Annex VII to the Convention, that is to add the word "Slovenia" at the end of the sentence, so that Annex VII would read:

Parties and other States which are members of OECD, EC, Liechtenstein, Slovenia.

The Republic of Slovenia would kindly appreciate if this proposal could be communicated by the Secretariat to all Contracting Parties of the Basel Convention and distributed at the Conference of the Contracting Parties, which is to be held in Kutching, Malaysia from 23 to 27 February.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Repoublic of Slovenia avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Secretariat of the Basel Convention the assurances of its highest consideration.

 

(signature)

Ljubljana, 11 February 1998

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