The members of the SWEAP High-level Advisory Board met for their first meeting on November 5th in Brussels. Representatives from Europol, the World Customs Organization, the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions Secretariat and the Netherlands’ Inspectorate for the Environment and Transport, heard from the SWEAP project leader, Katie Olley, about the aims of the project. Possible contributions and synergies between the organisations’ activities were then assessed and ample opportunities came up to align forces. For example joint training or enforcement action and the exchange of information.
From a police perspective, the SWEAP activities needly link to the EMPACT priority on Environmental Crime in the EU. The World Customs Organization also expressed their aim to work more on waste and pollution crimes. As an example was mentioned the series of Demeter Operations, coordinated by the WCO together with China.
The Basel, Rotterdam and Stocholms Conventions Secretariat highlighted the work by the Implementation and Compliance Committee on combating illegal traffic and the Norwegian proposal on adding a category under the Basel Convention for certain types of plastic waste to fight marine pollution.
