Activities

​

1. Training needs assessment 

​

This activity seeks to identify current gaps and specific training needs of police, customs, national environmental inspectorates and other actors in the enforcement chain, on the issues of waste-related and mercury-related crimes. The assessment will be carried out through online questionnaires and telephone/Skype interviews with selected practitioners, in particular in the EU and in selected countries in the CEE/ Balkan region and Africa. 

​

Regional and international organisations and networks (such as EUROPOL, INTERPOL, WCO, IMPEL, ENPE, EnviCrimeNEt) will also be consulted to ensure end-users involvement and support the wide dissemination of the online questionnaires. The inclusion in the consortium of full or associate partners from the end-user community (eg. German Police, and customs and Dublin City Council) will also facilitate collecting and reflecting their needs into the assessment exercise. The assessment will focus especially on relevant legislation, inspections, customs and enforcement practices and tools, case studies and good practices. 

​

The training needs will be then compared with existing training materials and tools, in order to identify the remaining gaps and the necessary adjustments to update and complement them. 

​

2. Update and development of training tools and materials (including webinars)

​

Based on the training needs assessment, a dedicated set of user-friendly training tools and materials will be developed to be used within the four Face-to-face trainings, as well as for the production of the 5-8 interactive webinars for practitioners and 1 dedicated webinar for trainers. 

 

In particular, specific information on illicit transboundary shipments of waste mercury and illicit production/trade of mercury-added products will be produced, including relevant legislation, inspections and enforcement practices and tools, case studies and good practices. A specific training module will be developed for customs authorities on how to identify Hg contained in mercury-added products. Also, case studies and examples of the current challenges represented by illegal waste and mercury-added products trade along the route EU-CEE/Balkan region and EU-Africa, including specific case studies. 

​

This activity will result in up-to-date training tools and materials, including training manuals, posters, e-learning materials, presentation slides, curriculum and possibly other material to be defined. Given the national and regional specificities, the project will develop a common training package usable in all countries, as well as tailored practical materials adapted to national/regional requirements. 

​

​

3. Multi-disciplinary training sessions 

​

Multi-disciplinary training courses will be organised for actors in the compliance and enforcement chain, including police, customs, national environmental inspectorates, prosecutors and other administrative and judicial authorities specialised in the field of environment crime. 

​

The trainings will focus mainly on improving collaboration among authorities, which enforce illicit management and illegal trade of problematic waste streams and mercury-added products, and investigate related crimes within Europe. A variety of strategies and methods will be used by the trainers during the courses.

​

​

4. Webinars 

​

To reach a wide audience of practitioners in Europe, in the CEE/Balkan region and Africa, and globally, the project partners will hold 5 to 8 interactive webinars, delivered by expert trainers. Two or three webinars will specifically focus on the challenges represented by illegal waste and mercury-added products trade along the route EU-CEE/Balkan region and EU-Africa, including specific case studies.