the following is from an article published in the UK Electronics Weekly last week.
Regards Keith by Steve Bush Tuesday 8 March 2005 MEPs call "foul" on Pb-free exemptions Exemptions granted to the lead-free Directive (RoHS) are to be re-examined after the European Parliament accused the European Commission of over-stepping its authority when it sanctioned the exemptions last December. "We want the Commission to withdraw its decision because it is flawed," Greens MEP Satu Hassi told EW. "A number of exemptions have been granted although alternatives are available." An adopted part of the Directive explicitly allows exemptions only where there is no technical alternative to using one of the banned substances, and does not allow exemptions on cost grounds. But, claims the Greens, Commission-led stakeholder consultations included discussion of cost. Greens/EFA alliance MEPs argue with the validity of some, but not all, of the exemptions granted in the December decision. "We are not challenging the entire decision, but some of the decision," said Hassi. "If there is no technical alternative, grant an exemption, [but] the Commission was super-lenient." Identifying technical flaws in procedures used by the Commission to notify the Parliament of RoHS committee work, the Greens have quashed the December exemption decision. Greens/EFA MEPs are now hoping the commission will remove the block of questioned exemptions before its RoHS committee re-votes its decision on March 16. "If they are clever, they will take it out," Hassi. If not, the Greens will look for support amongst other parties, from a Parliament which does not like the Commission to abuse its mandate. "We will try to adopt a resolution as to why we believe the Commission has exceeded its implementing power," said Hassi. The challenge is also a shot across the Commission's bows as it considers a further 22 completely new exemptions. Scrutiny of Commission procedures has also put the RoHS Directive's hard-fought 'maximum concentration' paragraph under a small, but finite, threat. Argued over for months last year, the largely-agreed key paragraph was on the verge of a default acceptance by the Council of Ministers until the Commissions procedural errors were found. Now it is likely to be re-presented to the Council of Ministers, opening a three month period where member states could potentially tear it up This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to [email protected] Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/listserv/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas [email protected] Mike Cantwell [email protected] For policy questions, send mail to: Richard Nute: [email protected] Jim Bacher: [email protected] All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc
