The use of mercury, a dangerous heavy metal, in common light bulbs should soon be banned in the EU under a set of rules adopted on Friday 17 December by the European Commission.
By means of 12 delegated acts, the institution intends to put an end to a wide range of existing derogations. The 2012 directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (2012/19/EU, the so-called WEEE Directive) prohibits the placing on the market of equipment containing hazardous substances, but with time-limited exemptions granted by the Commission if no alternative solution exists.
Most of these exemptions for general lighting will be removed, as assessments conducted by the Commission since 2016 have concluded that safe, mercury-free alternatives are widely available for fluorescent lamps.
On a case-by-case basis, transition periods of 12 and 18 months will be granted to allow economic operators to adapt to the new rules. Derogations will only be allowed for some specialised applications, such as medical use.
The 12 delegated acts will be submitted to the European Parliament and the EU Council, which will have 2 months to accept or reject them. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)