Draft RoHS
and WEEE Directive
revisions have been published on the European Commission's
website.
"Improving implementation and enforcement of laws on electrical
and electronic equipment and cutting unnecessary administrative
burden are the main objectives of the revised directives proposed
by the Commission today," said the Commission.
The proposed revised RoHS directive would cover medical devices
and monitoring and control instruments.
A list of "priority" substances posing particular environmental
concerns when used in electrical and electronic equipment will be
assessed in line with REACH with a view of a possible ban in the
future.
Complying with the requirements of the directive will also be
made easier with the introduction of the CE label for electrical
and electronic equipment.
The proposed revised WEEE directive sets a new binding target
for the collection of electrical and electronic equipment.
The current collection target of 4kg per person per year does
not properly reflect the situation in individual Member States.
Some Member States where the consumption of electrical and
electronic equipment is widespread would have more ambitious
targets under the new directive while others with smaller markets
will have less ambitious targets.
The Commission proposes to differentiate the targets by setting
mandatory collection targets equal to 65% of the average weight of
electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market over the
two previous years in each Member State.
The recycling and recovery targets of such equipment now include
the re-use of whole appliances, and weight-base targets will
increase by 5%. It is also proposed to set targets for the recovery
of medical devices.
Modifications to the RoHS Directive include:
- Changes in the legal text to clarify scope and definitions, in
particular by creating a binding list of products defining the
scope of the RoHS Directive
- Introduction of all relevant provisions already used in the EU
"Marketing of products" package of legislation concerning, in
particular national market surveillance activities and mechanisms
for assessing the conformity of the product
- Adaptation of the procedure for exemptions, for instance by
introducing additional socio-economic criteria for granting
exemptions and a requirement for applicants to evaluate substitutes
before submitting a request
- Inclusion in a staged manner medical devices and control and
monitoring instruments within the scope of RoHS of
- Establishing a clear mechanism for identifying and if necessary
restricting the use of additional hazardous substances, exploiting
all possible synergies with EU chemicals legislation and a list of
hazardous substances to be examined as a matter of urgency via this
mechanism.
See the European Commission webpage on
electrical and electronic equipment.
See also: Electronics Weekly's
WEEE Directive
In Full Force, a roundup of content related to the
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment regulations, and a
RoHS special,
on the European Directive regarding 'Restriction of Hazardous
Substances'.
See also: The Directives Decoder blog written by
Gary Nevison.