WRITTEN QUESTION E-2616/00 by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission. Television set fire safety/WEEE.
Date: 2000-08-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: dangerous substance, electrical equipment, electronic equipment, fire protection, product safety, proposal (EU), television equipment, toxic substance

C 113 E/134

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2001

(2001/C 113 E/137)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2616/00

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(1 August 2000)

Subject: Television set fire safety/WEEE

Further to the exchange of views with Commissioner Wallstr(cid:246)m on 20 June in the Environment
Committee on the subject of the Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment and the Directive
on the restriction of certain hazardous substances, will the Commission confirm that existing flame
retardant technologies in television sets will not be phased out until equivalent fire safety technologies
are found?

Answer given by Mrs Wallstr(cid:246)m on behalf of the Commission

(16 October 2000)

Certain flame-retardants commonly used in television sets are the subject of risk assessments under Council
Regulation (EEC) no 793/93 of 23 March 1993 on the evaluation and control of the Risks of existing
substances (1).

If unacceptable risks are identified from the flame-retardants in question and a risk reduction strategy is
proposed involving restrictions on marketing and use, the advantages and drawbacks of such restrictions
are considered in the light of available substitutes and alternative fire safety technologies.

Pending adoption of the proposal for a directive (2) on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous
substances in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) the Commission will propose restrictions in the
framework of Council Directive 76/769/EEC of 27 July 1976 on the approximation of
the laws,
regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to restrictions on the marketing
and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations (3) only if it is satisfied the advantages of such
restrictions outweigh the drawbacks.

According to article 4(1) of the proposal on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in
EEE, Member States shall ensure that with effect from 1 January 2008 the use of certain heavy metals and
two groups of brominated flame retardants, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl
ether (PBDE), are substituted by other substances.

It is acknowledged in the proposal that
the directive shall apply without prejudice to Community
legislation on safety. In this sense, if substitution of the concerned substances is not possible or where
the negative environmental or health impacts caused by substitution outweigh the possible environmental
benefits thereof, the application of the concerned substance should be exempted from the substitution
requirement. However, there is no indication that it will be necessary in the case of the substitution of
PBBs and PBDEs to have recourse to such exemptions. Research undertaken in the area of electrical and
electronic equipment indicates that adequate fire safety of such equipment could be achieved without using
PBB and PBDE. This has been confirmed in various public statements of producers of this equipment.

(1) OJ L 84, 5.4.1993.
(2) COM(2000) 347 Final.
(3) OJ L 262, 27.9.1976.