EU WEEE and RoHS Differences in opinions on amendments slow down parliamentary approval
Nearly a year and a half ago, the European Commission proposed revisions to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) and the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS). Members of the European Parliament had divergent opinions and there were many controversies. The date for the vote in the European Parliament was repeatedly postponed. back.
One of the major revisions the European Commission intends to make to the WEEE Directive is related to recycling targets. Under the current directive, the recycling target is 4 kilograms per inhabitant per year. In view of the fact that some member states can easily exceed the target, while other member states such as Romania are struggling very hard, the European Commission proposes to take into account the economic conditions of different member states and modify the target to a percentage, that is, the annual recycling rate should reach the level of the previous two years. The average product weight in each member country's market is 65%. This target will not take effect until 2016.
Some members of the European Parliament advocate changing the recycling target for 2016 from 65% to 85% for the weight of scrap electrical and electronic products. Members of Parliament also support other core items of the WEEE amendment, including improving the handling standards of end-of-life electrical and electronic products, preventing end-of-life products from being illegally shipped to other countries, including China and India, and simplifying registration regulations for manufacturers and importers.
Opinions on the product range are mixed. Influential members of parliament believe that the new directive should cover a wider range of products, but do not advocate a complete liberalization of the product range.
As for the revision of the RoHS Directive, some core issues have not yet been resolved, such as whether the list of hazardous substances that must not be contained in electrical and electronic products sold in the EU should be expanded, and the scope covered by the new directive.
A new Annex III was listed in the proposal proposed by the European Commission in 2008. The annex contains a list of priority substances, with the ultimate goal of including these substances in the new Annex IV and becoming banned substances. Substances added by the European Commission to Annex III include hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), dihexyl phthalate (DEHP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) and phthalate esters Dibutyl ester (DBP).
Some influential members of parliament hope to ban brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) three years after the new RoHS directive takes effect. However, other members of Parliament claim that there is currently insufficient evidence to support the ban of these substances and that new bans should not be established without an impact assessment, including costs to industry.
As for the scope covered by the RoHS directive, many members of parliament are still debating whether it should remain the same, expand and include new products, or be completely open. Some members of Parliament are concerned that full liberalization will bring legal ambiguity and increase cost burdens on the industry.
After the European Parliament's Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee votes on the special investigator's report, the amendments to the two directives will be submitted to the full European Parliament for a first reading vote. Although the European Commission hopes that the bill will be passed before the end of this year, judging from the current progress, the chance is very slim.
– Reference source: HKTDC 2010-03-11
