On 22/23 May 2025, the Waste Shipment Enforcement Group (WSEG) was launched at a meeting in Warsaw, Poland, which was organised by OLAF. The establishment of the WSEG is based on the Regulation on waste shipment, which entered into force on 20 May 2024. According to Art. 66 of the Regulation, the group "shall be a forum for sharing information relevant for the prevention and detection of illegal shipments, including information and intelligence on general trends relating to illegal shipments of waste, risk-based assessments carried out by the authorities of the Member States, and experience and knowledge on enforcement measures, as well as for exchanging views on best practices and for facilitating cooperation and coordination between relevant authorities."

Under the Regulation, also OLAF plays an important role in supporting transnational investigations by EU Member States into waste trafficking (for details → article by S. Grassin and L. Garruto, "Fighting Waste Trafficking in the EU: A Stronger Role for the European Anti-Fraud Office", eucrim 2/2024, 143-145).

At its inaugural meeting in Warsaw, over fifty stakeholders from across the EU and beyond – including environmental, customs, police and judicial authorities as well as carriers - discussed latest trends, international flows of illicit trade, improvements of inspections and enforcement measures as well as the use of IT tools to collect information and alert partners. Participants also shared best practices with regard to inspections, outlined common challenges and analysed the modus operandi detected in the illicit trade of waste. OLAF supports the WSEG and helps turn intelligence into concrete action.