On 7 June 2012, the Transport and Telecommunications Council adopted at second reading the new Directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), replacing the existing Directive 2002/96/EC.
Review process
The review process was initiated in 2008 with the aim of increasing the amount of WEEE that is appropriately treated, in order to reduce the volume that goes to disposal and halt illegal trade of WEEE to non-EU countries. The purpose was also to reduce administrative burden and ensure coherence with more recent policies and legislation.
Accepted amendments
As mentioned in our earlier Bulletin contribution, the Council agreed on the amendments proposed by the Parliament a.o. in relation to the term "producer", the widening of the scope to all electric and electronic equipment, the increased collection targets imposed on Member States and the cost of dealing with the waste.
In particular, photovoltaic panels, equipment containing ozone-depleting substances and fluorescent lamps containing mercury, will have to be collected separately and properly treated as of 2018.
It also provides for the collection at retail shops with sales areas relating to EEE of at least 400m2, or in their immediate proximity, of very small WEEE (no more than 25cm) free of charge to end-users.
Next Step
Next step is the publication of the new Directive in the EU Official Journal which is expected this summer. The Directive will then enter into force on the 20th day after its publication.
