Environmental inspections organised with the EU support: good practices and lessons learnt

The capacity-building seminar on “Joint environmental inspections: Good practices and lessons learnt” took place online on 23 June 2022. The main objective of the meeting was to facilitate joint inspections among the environmental inspectorates of the Eastern Partner countries. It presented EU countries’ experience with joint inspections, focusing on several IMPEL projects, paying particular attention to good practices, lessons learnt, and specific tools developed. The event included a practical exercise with environmental inspectorates from the Eastern Partner countries to brainstorm and drew up a joint regional inspection plan for waste shipments.

Participants included environmental inspectors and regulators from the Eastern Partner countries; environmental compliance assurance professionals from European countries, including IMPEL project leaders; and representatives of the OECD Secretariat.

Joint environmental inspections at international level are organised with the participation of different countries’ environmental inspectorates. Joint inspections play a key role in fighting environmental crime. They also allow inspectors to share their knowledge and expertise, to develop and test new methodologies and to identify good practices. Consequently, such inspections build capacity of participating inspectorates and contribute to a level playing field among them.

The European Union encourages co-operation and co-ordination among its Members’ compliance assurance authorities, including through joint enforcement actions. The European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL) has carried out joint inspections during the implementation of several projects.