Case: Policy coherence in general

23-11-2010 Tsoukalas wonders what the EU is doing about e-waste

We are using more electrical and electronic equipment than ever, and often the devises need to be replaced after a year or two. How to recycle e-waste is an increasing world wide problem, since some components in the old equipment are made of raw materials that could be re-used. Today the raw materials reserves are decreasing, while the demand continues to grow. That is why the European Union designed policies to increase recycling of e-waste in Member States.

However, this has not been enough, since much e-waste ends up in landfills or is illegally shipped to developing countries. Everybody knows the pictures of the piles of old computers in Ghana. If these are not treated properly, it will cause serious damage to the surroundings and the health of its inhabitants. MEP Ioannis A. Tsoukalas (EPP) acknowledges the difficulties of e-waste and asked the European Commission how much e-waste is produced annually in the European Union (EU), which Member States are best in the collection and recycling of e-waste, and how the Commission is going to make sure that more spare parts with valuable raw materials are being re-used?

Fair Politics has expressed its concerns in relation to the shipments of e-waste to developing countries before. These illegal shipments and the disassembly of e-waste are causing many environmental and health problems in developing countries. However, many people in developing countries do depend on our old equipment for their livelihood. This makes this topic a complicated one; How can we make sure that the EUs policies in relation to recycling, illegal shipments but also the import of raw materials are coherent with one another and most importantly are coherent with the EUs development policy?

Fair Politics believes that the EU should indeed make sure more old electronic equipment is being recycled within the EU and that illegal shipments are prohibited. On the other hand the EU should also make sure that the circumstances and the ways in which our used electronic equipment are being recycled elsewhere should be improved. Besides the EU should think about the link between raw materials and development more deeply. The amount of raw materials being imported to the EU is tremendous. Nevertheless resource rich developing countries are not able to benefit from their raw materials export, due to conflicts, the behaviour of some western mining companies and because of the elimination of export taxes pushed for by the EU (under EPAs).

In both article 21 and 208 of the Lisbon Treaty, the EU mentions its commitments towards Policy Coherence for Development. It therefore has the legal obligation to make sure all policies of the EU are in line with the EUs development policy. In the case of raw materials there is still quite some work to be done.

For the concerns expressed about e-waste, MEP Ioannis A. Tsoukalas (EPP) is recognised as Fair Politician. He earns a point in our monitoring system. 

Monitor fair: EPP

Parliamentary questions
E-8280/2010
12 October 2010
WRITTEN QUESTION, by Ioannis A. Tsoukalas (EPP)

Subject: Recycling of e-waste

Waste from electric and electronic appliances is the category of waste which is increasing most rapidly in the EU, and the EU and the US are now the two main producers of e-waste. Despite the significant recycling efforts 85 % of waste is already collected in the EU , the illegal shipment of waste outside the EU is still taking place on a large scale. Moreover, the loss of raw materials (and even of some rare earth metals) owing to a failure to use second-hand electronic equipment is a serious problem for the EU. At the same time, it is estimated that by 2020 e waste from China and South Africa will increase by between 200 % and 400 %, and waste from India by 500 %.
Given that:
 e-waste is increasing worldwide by 40 million tonnes annually, and China and India produce a total of 5 million tonnes of e waste every year;
 mobile phones and PCs account for the lion's share of e waste, and some 3 % of the gold and silver mined and 15 % of the cobalt mined are used in the production of these devices worldwide;
 some devices need rare earth metals imported from China to be able to operate, and this has direct consequences in terms of the EU's dependence on third countries.
In view of the above, will the Commission say:
 How many tonnes of e-waste are produced annually in the EU? How dangerous is this waste
 How does the EU evaluate the implementation of Directive 2002/96/EC(1) and the amending Directive 2008/34/EC(2) in the Member States? In which Member States is the collection of e waste most common? From which Member States is the greatest volume of e-waste illegally exported outside the EU? What sanctions exist for non-compliance by Member States? How does it intend to ensure that inspections are carried out on whether Member States are meeting their e-waste collection targets?
 What action does it intend to take to ensure that as many spare parts and valuable raw materials as possible are re-used in the EU?

1. OJ L 37, 13.2.2003, p. 24.
2. OJ L 81, 20.3.2008, p. 65.