The European Commission is consulting on substances that may be added to Annex II of RoHS Directive. Under article 6 of RoHS, the Commission is required to review restricted substances listed under Annex II before 22 July 2014, and then periodically thereafter on its own initiative or following proposal submitted by a Member state. The aim is to ensure the Directive is coherent with other EU chemical control legislation.
The consultation states that four substances will be included in the review. They are the flame retardant HBCDD and 3 phthalates DEHP, BBP and DBP.
Now Austrian Environment Agency working closely with the Commission managed the three-stage consultation to develop a list of priority substances by the review date and a methodology for pre-assessment and full assessment.
An initial consultation, running until 10 February, asks stakeholders to submit potential hazardous substances found in electrical and electronic equipment to be reviewed by experts at the Austrian Environment Agency.
Then follows a second consultation running until 13 March, when the Commission will hold a stakeholder meeting to discuss the substances.
A third public consultation on pre-assessment and prioritization of candidate substances will run from 17 April to 6 May. A final version of the report is scheduled to be published on 21 November 2013.
Safety/EMC/Wireless
Inspection & Audit
Testing/Compliance/Consultation
(USA & CANADA)
