The Baltic states and the Czech Republic have proposed that the EU ban imports of ferrous metals, copper and aluminum waste and scrap from Russia. Moscow uses the proceeds from these imports to finance its war against Ukraine. This is reported by the LRT publication.


The proposal was submitted to the European Union (EU) Environment Council in Brussels on Monday, March 26.


"Lithuania proposes that the European Commission evaluate all options at the EU level and submit a proposal to stop waste imports from Russia to the EU or allow member states to take unilateral restrictive measures. We believe that such imports contribute to the financing of Russia's war against Ukraine and should be stopped," said Jurga Kasputienė, Deputy Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the EU.


According to the Lithuanian Ministry of the Environment, in the period from 2022 to 2023, the EU imported ferrous metals, copper and aluminum waste and scrap from Russia worth more than €118 million. Most of these imports went through Lithuania.


At the same time, there are certain difficulties, as cross-border shipments of waste are regulated by the Basel Convention and the Waste Transport Regulation, which makes it difficult for individual Member States to take unilateral measures to ban or restrict these imports.