WEEE-2012-19-EU

DIRECTIVE2012/19/EUOFTHEEUROPEANPARLIAMENTANDOFTHECOUNCILof4July2012onwasteelectricalandelectronicequipment(WEEE)(recast)(TextwithEEArelevance)THEEUROPEANPARLIAMENTANDTHECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEANUNION,HavingregardtotheTreatyontheFunctioningoftheEuropeanUnion,andinparticularArticle192(1)thereof,HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheEuropeanCommission,HavingregardtotheopinionoftheEuropeanEconomicandSocialCommittee(1),HavingregardtotheopinionoftheCommitteeoftheRegions(2),Actinginaccordancewiththeordinarylegislativeprocedure(3),Whereas:(1)AnumberofsubstantialchangesaretobemadetoDirective2002/96/ECoftheEuropeanParliamentandoftheCouncilof27January2003onwasteelectricalandelectronicequipment(WEEE)(4).Intheinterestsofclarity,thatDirectiveshouldberecast.(2)TheobjectivesoftheUnion’senvironmentpolicyare,inparticular,topreserve,protectandimprovethequalityoftheenvironment,toprotecthumanhealthandtoutilisenaturalresourcesprudentlyandrationally.Thatpolicyisbasedontheprecautionaryprincipleandtheprinciplesthatpreventiveactionshouldbetaken,thatenviron­mentaldamageshould,asapriority,berectifiedatsourceandthatthepollutershouldpay.(3)TheCommunityprogrammeofpolicyandactioninrelationtotheenvironmentandsustainabledevelopment(FifthEnvironmentalActionProgramme)(5)statedthattheachievementofsustainabledevelopmentcallsforsignificantchangesincurrentpatternsofdevelopment,production,consumptionandbehaviourandadvocates,interalia,thereductionofwastefulconsumptionofnaturalresourcesandthepreventionofpollution.Itmentionedwasteelectricalandelectronicequipment(WEEE)asoneofthetargetareastoberegulated,inviewoftheapplicationoftheprinciplesofprevention,recoveryandsafedisposalofwaste.(4)ThisDirectivesupplementsthegeneralwastemanagementlegislationoftheUnion,suchasDirective2008/98/ECoftheEuropeanParliamentandoftheCouncilof19November2008onwaste(6).ItreferstothedefinitionsinthatDirective,includingthedefinitionsofwasteandgeneralwastemanagementoperations.ThedefinitionofcollectioninDirective2008/98/ECincludesthepreliminarysortingandpreliminarystorageofwasteforthepurposesoftransporttoawastetreatmentfacility.Directive2009/125/ECoftheEuropeanParliamentandoftheCouncil(7)establishesaframeworkforsettingecodesignrequirementsforenergy-relatedproductsandenablestheadoptionofspecificecodesignrequirementsforenergy-relatedproductswhichmayalsobecoveredbythisDirective.Directive2009/125/ECandtheimplementingmeasuresadoptedpursuanttheretoarewithoutprejudicetothewastemanagementlegislationoftheUnion.Directive2002/95/ECoftheEuropeanParliamentandoftheCouncilof27January2003ontherestrictionoftheuseofcertainhazardoussubstancesinelectricalandelec­tronicequipment(8)requiresthesubstitutionofbannedsubstancesinrespectofallelectricalandelectronicequipment(EEE)withinitsscope.(5)Asthemarketcontinuestoexpandandinnovationcyclesbecomeevenshorter,thereplacementofequipmentaccelerates,makingEEEafast-growingsourceofwaste.WhileDirective2002/95/EChascontributedeffectivelytoreducinghazardoussubstancescontainedinnewEEE,hazardoussubstancessuchasmercury,cadmium,lead,hexavalentchromiumandpolychlorinatedbiphenyls(PCBs)andozone-depletingsubstanceswillstillbepresentinWEEEformanyyears.ThecontentofhazardouscomponentsinEEEisamajorconcernduringthewastemanagementphase,andrecyclingofWEEEisnotundertakentoasufficientextent.Alackofrecyclingresultsinthelossofvaluableresources.(6)ThepurposeofthisDirectiveistocontributetosustainableproductionandconsumptionby,asafirstpriority,thepreventionofWEEEand,inaddition,bythere-use,recyclingandotherformsofrecoveryofENL197/38OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion24.7.2012(1)OJC306,16.12.2009,p.39.(2)OJC141,29.5.2010,p.55.(3)PositionoftheEuropeanParliamentof3February2011(notyetpublishedintheOfficialJournal)andpositionoftheCouncilatfirstreadingof19July2011(notyetpublishedintheOfficialJournal).PositionoftheEuropeanParliamentof19January2012(notyetpublishedintheOfficialJournal)anddecisionoftheCouncilof7June2012.(4)OJL37,13.2.2003,p.24.(5)OJC138,17.5.1993,p.5.(6)OJL312,22.11.2008,p.3.(7)OJL285,31.10.2009,p.10.(8)OJL37,13.2.2003,p.19.suchwastessoastoreducethedisposalofwasteandtocontributetotheefficientuseofresourcesandtheretrievalofvaluablesecondaryrawmaterials.ItalsoseekstoimprovetheenvironmentalperformanceofalloperatorsinvolvedinthelifecycleofEEE,e.g.producers,distributorsandconsumersand,inparticular,thoseoperatorsdirectlyinvolvedinthecollectionandtreatmentofWEEE.Inparticular,differentnationalappli­cationsofthe‘producerresponsibility’principlemayleadtosubstantialdisparitiesinthefinancialburdenoneconomicoperators.HavingdifferentnationalpoliciesonthemanagementofWEEEhamperstheeffectivenessofrecyclingpolicies.Forthatreason,theessentialcriteriashouldbelaiddownattheleveloftheUnionandminimumstandardsforthetreatmentofWEEEshouldbedeveloped.(7)TheprovisionsofthisDirectiveshouldapplytoproductsandproducersirrespectiveofsellingtechnique,includingdistanceandelectronicselling.Inthisconnection,theobligationsofproducersanddistributorsusingdistanceandelectronicsellingchannelsshould,asfarasisprac­ticable,takethesameform,a