On Thursday 9 November, the European Parliament voted by an overwhelming majority (595 in favour, 2 against and 3 abstentions) in favour of the targeted revision of Directive 2012/19/EU on the management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), proposed by the European Commission in order to bring the legislation into line with a judgment by the Court of Justice.
This judgment of January 2022 (case C-181/20) partially invalidated the Directive due to the provisions of Article 13(1), which were unduly retroactive for producers of photovoltaic panels (see EUROPE 12876/26).
In doing so, the European Parliament endorsed the report by Anna Zalewska (ECR, Polish) as adopted almost unanimously by the Committee on Environment (see EUROPE 13279/16).
While the resolution focuses on the targeted revision, the European Parliament also calls on the European Commission to assess the need for a future revision of the Directive by 31 December 2026 at the latest. Any legislative proposal that might be made should be accompanied by a thorough assessment of its socio-economic and environmental impact. The European Commission should also ensure that the costs of managing waste electrical and electronic equipment are not disproportionately passed on to consumers or citizens, says the European Parliament. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)