EUR-Lex Access to European Union law
This document is an excerpt from the EUR-Lex website
Document 32012L0019
Making the most of waste electrical and electronic equipment
Making the most of waste electrical and electronic equipment
SUMMARY OF:
Directive 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE DIRECTIVE?
It aims to protect the environment and human health by encouraging sustainable production and consumption. It does so by:
KEY POINTS
The legislation:
EU countries must:
Bulgaria, Czechia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia are allowed to postpone the achievement of the 2019 collection rate until 2021 because of a lack of the necessary infrastructure and their low levels of EEE use.
EU countries must also:
In April 2017, the European Commission adopted Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/699. This sets out the methods to calculate:
In February 2019, the Commission adopted Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/290 which sets out the format for registration and reporting of producers of electrical and electronic equipment to the register.
The Commission has presented the following reports to the European Parliament and the Council:
Based on these reports, the Commission concluded that the legislation should not be amended.
FROM WHEN DOES THE DIRECTIVE APPLY?
It has applied since 13 August 2012. Directive 2012/19/EU revised and replaced Directive 2002/96/EC and its subsequent amendments. The new rules contained in Directive 2012/19/EU had to become law in the EU countries by 14 February 2014.
BACKGROUND
KEY TERMS
MAIN DOCUMENT
Directive 2012/19/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) (recast) (OJ L 197, 24.7.2012, pp. 38-71)
Successive amendments to Directive 2012/19/EU have been incorporated into the original document. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.
RELATED DOCUMENTS
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/290 of 19 February 2019 establishing the format for registration and reporting of producers of electrical and electronic equipment to the register (OJ L 48, 20.2.2019, pp. 6-16)
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/699 of 18 April 2017 establishing a common methodology for the calculation of the weight of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) placed on the market of each Member State and a common methodology for the calculation of the quantity of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) generated by weight in each Member State (OJ L 103, 19.4.2017, pp. 17-21)
Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy-related products (OJ L 285, 31.10.2009, pp. 10-35)
See consolidated version.
Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the review of the scope of Directive 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment (the new WEEE Directive) and on the re-examination of the deadlines for reaching the collection targets referred to in Article 7(1) of the new WEEE Directive and on the possibility of setting individual collection targets for one or more categories of electrical and electronic equipment in Annex III to the Directive (COM(2017) 171 final, 18.4.2017)
Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the exercise of the power to adopt delegated acts conferred on the Commission pursuant to Directive 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) (COM(2017) 172 final, 18.4.2017)
Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the re-examination of the WEEE recovery targets, on the possible setting of separate targets for WEEE to be prepared for reuse and on the re-examination of the method for the calculation of the recovery targets set out in Article 11(6) of Directive 2012/19/EU on WEEE (COM(2017) 173 final, 18.4.2017)
last update 24.07.2019