The European Union has proposed banning exports of scrap metal to India and Egypt after a European Commission assessment concluded that the two countries had not sufficiently demonstrated that the waste would be managed in an environmentally sound manner.
India and Egypt are among the largest destinations for European scrap metal. Under the proposal, both countries would be excluded from a list of non-OECD nations permitted to continue importing certain non-hazardous waste from the EU under the bloc’s revised Waste Shipment Regulation.
The regulation is designed to tighten controls on European waste sent outside the bloc and reduce the risk of environmental pollution. Beginning in May 2027, exports of certain non-hazardous waste to countries outside the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development will generally be prohibited unless individual countries receive authorization.
According to the Commission’s assessment, India and Egypt did not demonstrate that sufficient pollution-control requirements were being applied to the treatment of imported waste. As a result, the Commission has proposed preventing shipments of the affected metal waste to the two countries once the new rules take effect.
The potential impact is significant because of the scale of Europe’s scrap trade. The EU exported nearly 19 million tonnes of scrap metal in 2025, representing more than half of the bloc’s exports of recyclable raw materials.
Egypt imported more than 1.3 million tonnes of European scrap metal, while India purchased approximately 850,000 tonnes, making the countries the second- and third-largest importers of EU scrap metal, respectively, according to the figures cited in the report.
The proposed restrictions come as Brussels and New Delhi are also working on their broader trade relationship. Earlier this month, the European Commission withdrew plans for export duties on aluminum scrap amid concerns surrounding the EU’s trade negotiations with India.
European aluminum producers have pushed Brussels to limit exports of inexpensive scrap so more recycled material remains available within the EU. India, meanwhile, is a major international market for aluminum scrap.
EU industry chief Stéphane Séjourné said the Commission abandoned the proposed aluminum scrap export measure after determining it would cover only around half of the bloc’s exports. Brussels instead intends to pursue a solution that is independent of traditional trade-policy instruments.
The proposed restriction involving India and Egypt would not apply to every category of recyclable material. The two countries would still be permitted to receive other waste streams from the EU, including paper, wood, rubber and textile waste, subject to applicable European rules.
The metal scrap restriction has not yet been finalized. The European Commission is accepting feedback on its proposed list of authorized non-OECD importing countries until October 16 and is expected to adopt the final list in November.
Until that process is completed, India and Egypt’s exclusion remains a Commission proposal rather than a final EU ban. If adopted in its current form, the restrictions would take effect as part of the EU’s new waste-export regime beginning in May 2027.
