PlasticsEurope, the European association of plastics manufacturers, has welcomed the amendments to the RoHS Directive adopted by the European Parliament and believes that the changes will contribute to a coherent methodology for assessing the risks of substances used in electric and electronic equipments (EEE), in full consistency with Reach.According to PlasticsEurope, three points in the adopted text will in particular help secure the European industry’s competitiveness and its continuous innovation drive:
1. Priority list of substances for future restriction (Annex III), not based on scientific arguments, has been removed
2. There will be no unjustified extension of Annex IV, which deals with banned substances
3. An explicit request for coherence between the RoHS methodology for risk assessments and REACH has been added.
These constructive proposals received massive support in the European Parliament plenary, with 640 votes in favour, 12 abstentions and three votes against.
Jean-Pierre De Grève, PlasticsEurope’s deputy executive director, said: “With this decision, the European policy makers ensured that policies will continue to be based on sound science and relevant risk assessment and maintain a regulatory environment favourable to European competitiveness.
“The outcome of this recast is a demonstration of the trust in the ongoing efforts made by the European industry in R&D and innovation, and also a strong encouragement to make additional steps forward.”
