1. EC Food Safety Strategy & EC Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) by Philippe Bergeron Director Regional Institute of Environmental Technology

2. Part 1 EC Food Safety Strategy

3. EC major priority to re-establish consumer EC major priority to re-establish consumer confidence in the European food supply after Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and M&F diseases Safe food From “farm to table” Correctly regulated Effectively controlled EC Food Safety Strategy

4. White Paper on Food Safety published on 12.01. 2000 to address weaknesses and consumer fears Commission’s proposal adopted on 8.11. 2000 Regulation adopted on 28.01.2002 Published in JO L31 of 01.02.2002 Regulation Progress

5. Rights of consumers to safe food and to accurate and honest information Integrated approach from the farm to the final consumer Principle of independent, objective and transparent risk analysis (assessment, management & communication) based on best available science Strategy Key Elements (a)

6. Precautionary principle option when scientific information is inconclusive or incomplete Traceability of all food and feeds along the supply chain including foreign exporters in third countries Provision of legal basis and operational principles for the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Strategy Key Elements (b)

7. Food law to provide high level of health protection Only safe food to be placed on the market Primary responsibility for safety with food businesses Effective controls + enforcement Traceability of food at least one step up and one step down the entire food and feed supply chain Basic Principles

8. Where preliminary assessment indicates an unacceptable risk but scientific data is incomplete Risk management measures should be proportionate, should not discriminate, benefits v/v costs, should be reviewed Communication from the Commission on the PP Feb 2000. Precautionary Principle

9. Precautionary principle present in growing number of international agreements Integrative part of any risk based strategy Especially important in public health & environmental and food safety policy issues Increasing source of disputes: unnecessary restraint (false positive) against excessive laxity (false negative) Precautionary Principle - EEA Late Lessons from Early Warnings

10. Fisheries stock depletion, X-rays radiation, Benzene poisoning, Asbestos cancers, PCBs adverse health effects, Ozone depleting Halocarbons, DES Oestrogen to prevent miscarriage, Antimicrobials as animal growth promoter, SO 2 smog, MTBE lead substitute, US great lakes chemical contamination, Tributyltin (TBT) ship antifoulants, Hormones as growth promoters, BSE disease Precautionary Principle - Fourteen Early Warnings

11. Risk - known impacts & known probabilities - example of action: prevention to reduce known risk Uncertainty - known impact but unknown probabilities - example of action: precautionary prevention to reduce potential hazards Ignorance - unknown impact and unknown probabilities- example of action: precaution to anticipate and reduce impact of surprise Precautionary Principle - Clarification of terms

12. 1 - Acknowledge and respond to ignorance as well as uncertainty 2 - Research and monitoring for early warnings 3 - Search out and address “blind spots” and gaps in scientific knowledge 4 - Identify and reduce interdisciplinary obstacles to learnings Precautionary Principle - EEA Twelve Lessons for policy makers

13. 5 - Ensure that real world conditions are fully accounted for 6 - Systematically scrutinise and justify the claimed “pros” and “cons” 7 - Evaluate alternatives and promote robust, diverse, adaptable solutions 8 - Use “lay” and local knowledge as well as relevant specialist expertise Precautionary Principle - EEA Twelve Lessons for policy makers

14. 9 - Take account of wider social interests and values 10 - Maintain regulatory independence from economic and political special interests 11 - Identify and reduce institutional obstacles to learning and action 12 - Avoid “paralysis by analysis” Precautionary Principle - EEA Twelve Lessons for policy makers

15. Open and transparent development of food law: scientific opinions AND procedures To promote open-minded and balanced dialogue between all stakeholders Full transparency in the risk/benefit assessments Consumers’ right for clear and honest information Transparency

16. Commitment to free trade in safe and wholesome foods Commitment to WTO Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) agreements Commitment to international technical standards that do not compromise Community treaty for high level of health protection International Obligation and Trade in Foods

17. 1.Scientific assessment of risks 2.Information gathering + analysis 3.Emerging risks surveillance 4.Support to Commission in a major food safety crisis 5.Communication European Food Safety Authority Main tasks

18. Labelling of food GM food and feed Food hygiene Food controls Zoonoses Food and feed additives Since the EC Food Safety Strategy

19. Part 2 Proposed EC Directives Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) & Restriction Of the use of certain Hazardous Substances (ROHS)

21. Directive on waste oils Directive on PCB/PCT Directive on packaging and packaging waste Directive on sewage sludge Directive on end of life vehicles Existing EC Legislation on Specific Waste Streams

22. WEEE:Proposal Batteries: Preparation of Proposal Compost:Preliminary discussion Draft Legislation on Specific Waste Streams

23. Growing amount of WEEE Important WEEE share of pollutants in municipal waste (some of it hazardous) Underdeveloped Recycling Diverging Member State legislation Main Problems with Current WEEE Management

24.  Separate stream for collection, treatment and recovery of WEEE  Full application of the principle of producer responsibility  Elimination of problematic substances in new products Main Thrust of Proposed WEEE Legislation

25. Better design - more cost effective recycling Example: Phone ‘X’ produced in SEA contains: 12 screws Phone ‘Y’ produced in the UK contains: 6 screws  time to dismantle first phone 3 minutes  time to dismantle second phone1.5 minutes  dismantling viability X phone: economically not viable Y phone: economically viable Importance of Producer Responsibility

26. Since 1994 More than 150 bilateral and multilateral meetings with industry (90% of all meetings), environmental NGOs, local authorities, consumer groups and national experts and Commission services Consultation Process

27.  Scope (households, commercial and industrial WEEE)  Separate collection, 4 kg/person/year in 2006 (Article 4)  Treatment (Article 5 + Annex II)  Recovery, recycling and recovery targets in 2006 (Article 6)  Financing of WEEE from private households (Article7)  Financing for other WEEE (Article 8)  Information for users (symbol Annex IV) Content of WEEE Proposal

28. Recovery Targets

29.  Private holders: return free of charge  Producers responsible for costs of collection (from collection facilities), treatment, recovery and disposal  Collective or individual systems  Historical waste: contribution by all existing producers Financing Schemes: Private Household WEEE

30.  Financing of costs for collection, treatment, recovery and disposal covered by agreements between producers and users Financing Schemes: Other WEEE

31.  Based on WEEE Article 95  Lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, PBB (polybrominated biphenyls) and PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ethers)  Substitution by 1. 1. 2008 (Article 4)  Lists of exemptions (Annex)  Review clause by 1. 1. 2004 to take into account, as necessary, new scientific evidence Restriction of Use of Certain Hazardous Substances (ROHS)

32. Ban of disposal of unsorted WEEE Minimum mandatory collection target of 6kg /person /year More individual responsibility Higher recycling and recovery targets Possibility of visible fee for historical waste during a defined period No merge of WEEE & ROHS Directives 2006 for ban of hazardous substances ROHS more dynamic European Parliament 1st Reading (April 2001)

33. Timetable of the provisions Non binding collection target of 4kg/cap/yr Individual or collective responsibility Orphan products Collection costs can be shared with producers and distributors Higher recovery targets No mention of visible fee No merge of 2 Directives 2007 at the latest for ban of hazardous substances ROHS more dynamic Council Political Agreement (June 2001) in view of Common Position

34. Proposals of the Commission (13 June 2000) COM 2000(347) Co-decision procedure between European Parliament and Council (adoption foreseen mid 2002) Implementation of the directive in the Member States (18 months after adoption) Further Regulatory Process - WEEE

35. Homepage http://www.riet.org E-mail bergeron@riet.org.sg THANK YOU