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Trade and Industry Department The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Brand Hong Kong - Asia world city
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Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : Sub-file (A) to EIC 230/2/11

27 February 2004

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 49/2004

European Union (EU)* :Amendment to the Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Further to Commercial Information Circular No. 70/2003 of 1 March 2003, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU have adopted an amendment to the Directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The amendment modifies the financial responsibility of producers in managing historical waste from users other than private households. Details are set out in Directive 2003/108/EC (the Directive), a copy of which is attached (pdf format) to this circular for reference.

DETAILS

  1. Article 9 of the Directive on WEEE sets out the rules on, among others, the financing of the costs of management for historical waste (i.e. waste from products already put on the market before 13 August 2005) from non-household sources. Given that the wording of Article 9 concerning historical waste may expose certain producers to serious economic risks, the EU authorities adopted the Directive to amend the relevant provisions. Under the Directive, Member States are required to ensure that, by 13 August 2005, the following shall be in place -

    1. for historical waste being replaced by new equivalent products or by new products fulfilling the same function, the financing of the costs of management shall be provided for by producers of the new products when supplying them. As an alternative, Member States may provide that users other than private households also be made, partly or totally, responsible; and
       

    2. for other historical waste, the financing of the costs of management shall be provided for by the users other than private households.

    Member States are required to transpose the Directive into their national laws by 13 August 2004.

ENQUIRIES

  1. For enquiries about the content of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5684.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Sandra SOU)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry

* : The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.



  • While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, the Department cannot guarantee this to be so and will not be held liable for any reliance placed on the same.