Tunisia-Ministry of the Environment: Battle for Italian waste has been won

After nearly a year of the entrance of the first shipments of Italian waste into Tunisia and more than two months after the conclusion of the deadlines given for by the Basel Convention for their re-export to the country of origin, Hédi Chebili, Director of the Environment and quality of life and in charge of the file at the Ministry of Local Affairs and Environment, confirmed today Sunday, May 16, 2021, that the reshipment of Italian containers to their nation of origin is only a matter of time. The official stated the legal proceedings are complicated.

Hédi Chebili affirmed that the public authorities favored, from the start of the case, resort to the diplomatic channel, particularly since there was a positive answer from the Italian authorities, thanks to the elaborated technical file which highlighted all the problems that are at the origin of this case.

The director at the Ministry of Local Affairs and Environment has therefore indicated that there has been no recourse to a law firm so far. The Tunisian embassy in Rome was responsible for contacts with the Italian authorities and for monitoring the judicial process, the official said.

He explained the non-recourse to attorneys by the fact that such an approach would have taken time and would entail a lot of money, while thanks to the diplomatic process initiated since December 9, 2020, the company was asked by the Italian authorities to collect its waste at the same time as the criminal investigations underway in Tunisia and Italy.

Concerning the details of the judicial investigation opened in Tunisia and the people arrested, Hédi Chebili rejected any clarification on this subject, due, according to him, to the confidentiality of these details which are the responsibility of the courts.