Reacting to today’s European Parliament vote in plenary on the revision of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive, CECED believes that the revision now agreed will strengthen clarity and predictability for all actors present on the market.

Changes with regard to the exemption process, the new methodology, to assess future substance restrictions and the inclusion of the New Legislative Framework elements into the Directive are important steps towards having better legislation for electrical and electronic equipment.

CECED still finds unclear how the methodology for evaluating future substance restrictions will actually work in practise. The new Directive, as it now stands, will not be fully aligned with the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation. This misalignment means that the potential exists to create double standards and uncertainty in the whole supply chain for EEE products.

Says Luigi Meli, CECED Director General: ‘The directive sets the requirements to demonstrate compliance, however detailed rules need to be developed. We urge the Commission to exercise care when creating the detailed rules that should be based on input from all stakeholders and also be applicable at international level. In addition, harmonised standards are specifically mentioned as one possibility to demonstrate compliance and to get presumption of conformity. The Commission now needs to provide mandates to the standardisation bodies to develop such standards.’

For further information please contact:
Mr. Luigi Meli, CECED Director General
Tel: +32 (0)2 706 8290
Email: secretariat@ceced.eu

Mr Tristan Macdonald, Communications Manager
Tel: +32 (0)2 706 8288
Email: tristan.macdonald@ceced.eu