Issue #0602/2 - Not alone, the UK government could face legal action by the European Commission if it does not successfully transpose the EU directive into law without further delay
Having delayed implementation of the WEEE directive (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) twice already, till June 2006, the UK department of Trade and Industry has now announced that there is no clear timeframe for UK implementation.
Supposedly meaning that the UK government is struggling to get adequate registration processes in place, can it really be as hard as it seems it is being made out to be? After all, governments can move fast enough when they want to extract money from their populace!!
In fact, so delayed is implementation that the UK is already under threat of legal action from the European Commission for non-compliance! But, the UK is not alone in this respect. Apparently seven other countries are also under the same threat – namely, France, Italy, Greece, Finland, Poland, Estonia and Malta.
While several of these countries are either small and/or struggling to catch up with the sophistication of Western Europe, and so could perhaps be excused for finding it difficult to comply quickly, how can there be any justification for larger countries like the UK, France and Italy?
By the original date set for converting the directive into national law, 13th August 2004, only Cyprus had its statutes in place. Indeed, although other member states had converted at least a framework of regulations by that date a year later, it is claimed that Malta and the UK still had not even started, despite a report commissioned by the UK government claiming that the transposition was almost complete in July of 2005.
Even though it is purported to be the registration process that is causing the delay, there is an official-sounding registration web site in place in the UK – www.weeedirectory.com (website has now been moved) – but this has all the appearance of being an amateur gaming and forum site. Only 87 UK organisations are registered as WEEE recycling agencies, including a number of charities remarketing computer equipment to the third world or to other charities.
If this web site is a government initiative, then it is pitiful. On the other hand, if it is not a government site and to be fair, because there is no indication that it is, then the organisation involved is way ahead of the government.
Furthermore, most manufacturers are advanced in their provisions for complying with WEEE and are being severely hindered by the UK government, being left in a state of limbo till the government meets the requirements.
WEEE affects us all: from printer and PC manufacturers; through distributors and dealers; to companies, large and small; and even individual consumers. It affects what we do with our mobile phone when it is no longer required, how we handle that 15-year-old TV and even what we do with the fluorescent light bulb in our kitchen that fails after five years loyal service!
Everyone is left in limbo by this delay, not just the technology manufacturers.
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