PARLIAMENT RISKS JEOPARDISING CURRENT PRESS RELEASE Date: 3 February 2 - PDF document

PARLIAMENT RISKS JEOPARDISING CURRENT PRESS RELEASE Date: 3 February 2011 Brussels, 3 February 2011 – EuroCommerce congratulates the EP on its commitment to reinforce the internal market but warns of risks to current recycling schemes. Today, the European Parliament voted on the recast of the WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) directive. The vote is clearly in favour of more harmonisation and a real internal market for EEE. In particular, the parliament confirmed three Commission decisions: the change of definition of ‘placing on the market’ from a national to a Community definition the harmonisation of registration and reporting obligations and making national registers interoperable. “These measures should simplify administration and reduce costs, provided the harmonisation does not lead to an EU wide application of the most bureaucratic practices” said Xavier Durieu, EuroCommerce Secretary General. “The switch to a community definition for ‘placing on the market’ will also benefit the environment by providing further incentives for manufacturers to recycle. It will prevent a shift of responsibility from the producer to the distributor when an EEE is moved from one member state to another. Collection and recycling schemes are essential for the ambitious targets Parliament has set. However, the current proposal that retailers should become collection points for very small volume waste (with an exemption for micro companies) is not the best option. Many retailers already go beyond the current 1:1 take-back system in countries operating on this basis. Mr Durieu explained, “Obliging retailers who sell phones to take-back toasters is unwise. It will create some safety issues (light bulb containing mercury break when deposited in the shop) and could also jeopardise existing systems for the collection of small volume waste. Eurocommerce has always agreed that small volume waste should be collected in a similar way to normal waste i.e. at the door step of the household. Consumers are used to sorting out their waste. A new sort of bag for small volume waste would prove the most effective way to address the issue. Technically advanced sorting systems can already separate WEEE from packaging. Under these conditions, households would not even need an extra bin”. Christel Davidson Senior Adviser on Environment T:+32 2 737 05 90 davidson@eurocommerce.be 2 of 2 EuroCommerce and the commerce sector EuroCommerce represents the retail, wholesale and international trade sectors in Europe. Its membership includes commerce federations and companies in 31 European countries. Commerce plays a unique role in the European economy, acting as the link between manufacturers and the nearly 500 million consumers across Europe over a billion times a day. It is a dynamic and labour-intensive sector, generating 11% of the EU’s GDP. One company out of three in Europe is active in the commerce sector. Over 95% of the 6 million companies in commerce are small and medium-sized enterprises. It also includes some of Europe’s most successful companies. The sector is a major source of employment creation: 31 million Europeans work in commerce, which is one of the few remaining job-creating activities in Europe. It also supports millions of dependent jobs throughout the supply chain from small local suppliers to international businesses.