July 20, 2004

By: Craig Jones
Website: http://www.1st-in-batteries.com

EP vote on batteries and accumulators : a victory for municipalities and regions

The European parliament has adopted the report by Hans Blockland on batteries and accumulators this Tuesday 20 April 2004.

Most of the 125 recommendations presented by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions were adopted by the MEPs.

I am particularly pleased that the European Parliament has followed our wish to see a total ban of cadmium in batteries and accumulators, says CEMR secretary general Jeremy Smith. I am also relieved that the legislation will cover cordless power-tools. This constitutes a victory for European municipalities and regions.

As importantly, it is excellent news that the producer's responsibility principle includes the collection of spent batteries and accumulators. It means this responsibility will not lie with local authorities.

CEMR's main recommendations were to :

* Extend the ban on the use of mercury in batteries and accumulators to cadmium and lead

* Extend the scope of the directive to cover appliances containing batteries

* Reject the Commission's proposals regarding monitoring the municipal waste stream

* Increase the collections targets and set them in terms of consumption rather than volume

The European Parliament's amendments to the draft directive will now have to be considered by the European Commission and Council of Ministers. For more information, see batteries for laptop computer.

About The Author:

Craig Jones is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-batteries.com.  A great resource for batteries of all kinds including camcorder, laptop, cell phone and more.