The European Commission is considering the preparation of possible Implementing Acts laying down minimum quality standards for treatment of Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE). AppliA, DigitalEurope, EERA, Orgalim and the Weee Forum have prepared a joint paper with specific requirements about this difficult matter.
The signatories of this paper are strongly of the view that it is absolutely crucial to do so in strict accordance with the European standards for WEEE. The consultants1 that undertake the preparatory study, the Member States and the European Commission should acknowledge the importance of strictly implementing all requirements from EN 50625 and EN 50614, the suite of CENELEC standards covering the collection, transport, re-use and treatment of WEEE and avoid their watering down since they represent one integral set of standards to be applied by all actors in a harmonised way throughout Europe for improved quality waste management. 
This is the executive summary of joint industry messages and recommendations:
The European standards EN 50625 and EN 50614 for WEEE lay down specifications expressly designed to put WEEE legislation into practice and cover the process of collection, transport, reuse and treatment of WEEE.
The standards and Technical Specifications constitute an integral and integrated set of normative requirements and specifications that are critical to achieving the overall objectives of WEEE legislation.
Requirements on depollution, depollution monitoring, limit and target values, documentation, monitoring of downstream treatment put the legal provisions into practice.
Putting the standards into practice is a viable proposition. T
o ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of Article 8.5 of the Directive 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), the Commission should adopt Implementing Acts laying down minimum quality WEEE treatment standards in strict accordance with the European standards for WEEE, the reference numbers of which have been published on the website of the European Commission (see here). Such Implementing Acts laying down minimum quality WEEE treatment standards will contribute to improved quality waste management and harmonisation of treatment practices throughout Europe.
The full joint paper is published on AppliA Europe website; www.applia-europe.eu.
