Seven other European nations, including France and Italy, have also been cited for failing to meet the April 21 2002 deadline for implementation.
Commenting on the action, environment commissioner Margot Wallstrm said: “In 2000, EU Member States agreed to significantly strengthen rules on the waste generated by end-of-life motor vehicles. Despite reminders by the Commission, eight member states have still not followed up this commitment. They now need to urgently finalise the national legislation needed to make these ambitious new rules effective.”
A statement issued today by the European Commission said it is concerned that the implementation delays could mean Member States will fail to meet targets set out in the ELV Directive and thus “fail to reduce the pressure that waste puts on the environment”. The Directive sets recovery targets of 85% of all ELVs by weight by January 2006 (with a minimum of 80% recycling) and 95% by January 2015 (minimum 85% recycling).
The Commission said that the Court action might result in a fine being imposed.
Government
Responding to the Commission's announcement, a spokesman from the Department of Trade and Industry told letsrecycle.com that work into the implementation of the Directive was continuing following the publication of the government's consultation paper in March 2003.
The spokesman explained: “It is a very complex Directive, and a very significant Directive, and the implications of it will affect many organisations, businesses and consumers, so we've got to get it right, we cannot afford to rush into it.”
He continued: “The UK is not alone in falling behind on this legislation, and while this is not an excuse, it shows it is not just a UK problem. And the difficulties are compounded because the European ELV Directive isn't even fully complete – a common system of measuring ELV recovery across the EU Member States is yet to be worked out.
For more information about the ELV Directive and its implementation in the UK, see the letsrecycle.com legislation section.
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