The European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL) is an international non-profit association of environmental authorities of the European Union Member States, acceding and candidate countries of the EU, EEA and EFTA countries. The Network’s objective is to create the necessary impetus in the European Union to make progress on ensuring a more effective application of environmental legislation. The core of IMPEL’s activities take place within a project structure and concern awareness raising, capacity building, peer review, exchange of information and experiences on implementation, international enforcement collaboration as well as promoting and supporting the practicability and enforceability of European environmental legislation.
IMPEL has developed into a widely known organisation in the environment field and is mentioned in a number of EU legislative and policy documents. In the area of waste shipments, IMPEL has been successfully running for many years EU coordinated enforcement actions and capacity building projects for various law enforcement agencies on the ground. The results of the enforcement actions project have shown still huge gaps in compliance with waste management and waste shipments regulations, such a s illegal exports of waste to outside the European Union, un-equal inspection and enforcement regimes in the EU and lack of skills and knowledge of the regulators.
IMPEL is the coordinating beneficiary for the LIFE SWEAP Project.
