Since 2003, the European Union has been restricting the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment and has been promoting the collection and recycling of such equipment. It does so through two Directives: the WEEE Directive and the RoHS Directive.

These two Directives have been recasted to better respond to the current trends and needs.

• The recast of the WEEE Directive was voted in EP Plenary in second reading on 19 January 2012. It is pending final political agreement in the Council. 
• The recast of the RoHS Directive was adopted in May 2011 and entered into force on 21 July 2011.

EPEE members continuously work to ensure that they comply with the European rules on electrical and electronic waste.  Now that the recasts have been approved, Member States and companies will need to comply to the new rules. In this regard, EPEE calls upon the European Commission to develop clear guidance documents, such as FAQs and guidelines.

For more information, please go to:

• The European Commission’s websites dedicated to WEEE and to RoHS .
• The WEEE Forum website
• The RoHS compliance website