New Appliance Association Opposes Bulgarian WEEE Law Nov 1, 2006

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At the founding meeting of the new national appliance association CECED Bulgaria, appliance makers strongly criticized the Bulgarian government for failing to comply with the EU’s Directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). “It is clear that the Bulgarian law is not in conformity with the European Directive,” said Pascal Leroy of Brussels-based umbrella association CECED (European Committee of Domestic Equipment Manufacturers). “Manufacturers strongly object to unrealistic targets and disproportionate product fees.”
The fees are part of measures being put forward by the Bulgarian government in the context of its implementation of WEEE, ahead of the country’s full accession to the EU. Bulgaria’s transposition of WEEE is law that was intended to be in force as of Sept. 1, 2006. It requires municipalities to set up collection centers and for importers and manufacturers to pay a fee to the government when placing products onto the Bulgarian market. “To set targets that are impossible to achieve is senseless,” Leroy said. “The Directive lays down that the obligation of companies should be to collect and treat all discarded products. Product fees are needed and should be set to discourage free riding but must reflect reasonable costs of collection, storage and treatment of WEEE.”

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