Pending delivery of Parliament’s opinion, the Council held a detailed discussion on the proposal for the amendment of Regulation (EC) No 259/93 on shipments of waste so as to ban all exports of dangerous waste intended for recycling operations to non-OECD countries. This proposal corresponds to the outcome of the Third Conference of Parties to the Basle Convention (Geneva, 18 to 22 September 1995); at the Community’s instigation the Conference approved the introduction of an amendment to the Convention providing for a ban on exports to non-OECD countries of dangerous waste for the purpose of disposal or recovery no later than 31 December 1997. The discussion made it possible to establish the existence of a common approach within the Council in favour of the proposal. Regulation (EC) No 259/93 already bans exports of waste for disposal to non-EFTA countries not parties to the Basle Convention. In addition, all exports of waste to the ACP states is banned under the Lomé Convention.