Report from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the implementation of directive 2000/53/Ec on end-of-life vehicles for the period 2002-2005 [SEC(2007) 1348]
Date: 2007-10-17
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: environmental protection, metal pollution, metal waste, prevention of pollution, report, waste recycling

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 17.10.2007 
COM(2007) 618 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND 
THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DIRECTIVE 2000/53/EC ON END-OF-LIFE 
VEHICLES  

FOR THE PERIOD 2002-2005 

[SEC(2007) 1348] 

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REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND 
THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DIRECTIVE 2000/53/EC ON END-OF-LIFE 
VEHICLES  

FOR THE PERIOD 2002-2005 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The aim of this report is to inform the other Community institutions, the Member States and 
the public about the implementation of Directive 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles1 over the 
period from 21 April 2002 to 21 April 2005 (or from 1 May 2004 to 21 April 2005 for the 
Member States which joined the European Community on 1 May 2004). 

The  report  was  drawn  up  on  the  basis  of  an  implementation  questionnaire  established  by 
Commission Decision 2001/753/EC2, in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 6 
of  Directive  91/692/EEC3.  It  is  based  on  information  supplied  by  the  Member  States  and  is 
accompanied  by  a  Commission  staff  working  document  which  gives  more  details  on  the 
information and data received from them. 

All Member States have provided the Commission with their national implementation data as 
regards  the  incorporation  of  the  Directive  into  national  law.  Incorporation  of  the  Directive 
into  national  legislation  appears  satisfactory;  however,  a  conformity  check  of  the  national 
implementing  measures  with  the  provisions  of  the  Directive  is  still  ongoing  for  the  EU-10, 
which may result in new non-conformity issues. 

As  regards  the  actual  implementation  and  enforcement  of  the  legal  provisions,  since  only  a 
few Member States reported information specified in part 2 of the questionnaire (which is to 
be delivered insofar as available and in line with commercial and industrial confidentiality), it 
is difficult to have a full overview of the state of functioning of the Directive in the Member 
States  on  the  basis  of  the  national  reports.  Moreover,  a  complete  picture  of  the  current 
situation as regards the recycling and recovery of end-of-life vehicles will only be available 
once  Member  States  report  on  the  reuse/recovery  and  reuse/recycling  targets  they  achieve. 
These  reports,  obligatory  with  data  for  2006,  need  to  be  prepared  according  to  the  detailed 
rules laid down in Commission Decision 2005/293/EC4 and sent to the Commission within 18 
months of the end of the relevant year, i.e. by 30 June 2008. 

1 
2 
3 
4 

OJ L 269, 21.10.2000, p. 34. 
OJ L 282, 26.10.2001, p. 77. 
OJ L 377, 23.12.1991, p. 48. 
OJ L 94, 12.4.2005, p. 30. 

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2. 

DIRECTIVE 2000/53/EC ON END-OF-LIFE VEHICLES 

Directive  2000/53/EC  lays  down  specific  requirements  for  the  management  of  end-of-life 
vehicles. It has as its main objective the prevention of waste from vehicles and, in addition, 
the reuse, recycling and other forms of recovery of end-of-life vehicles and their components 
so as to reduce the disposal of waste. The Directive also aims to improve the environmental 
performance of all economic operators involved in the life-cycle of vehicles and especially the 
operators directly involved in the treatment of end-of-life vehicles. 

All Member States have provided the Commission with details of their laws, regulations and 
administrative provisions introduced to comply with the Directive. Currently, infringement 
proceedings  are  in  progress  against  9  Member  States  (Belgium,  Denmark,  Spain,  France, 
Italy, France, Ireland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom). 

A  large  majority  of  Member  States  did  not  exempt  vehicles  produced  in  small  volumes 
from  the  dismantability,  recoverability  and  recyclability  requirements,  compliance  with 
coding  standards  and  dismantling  information,  and  from  the  reporting  and  information 
requirements.  Only  Ireland,  Lithuania  and  the  United  Kingdom  provided  for  such  an 
exemption. 

Most  Member  States  adopted  various  prevention  measures  aiming  to  limit  the  use  of 
hazardous substances in vehicles and to prevent their release to the environment, as well as to 
facilitate vehicle dismantling, reuse, recovery and recycling and integrate more recyclates into 
vehicles and other products. Vehicle design changes are encouraged by Member States which 
have  a  national  car  industry  (France,  Germany)  through  legal  obligations  and  information 
requirements  imposed  on  manufacturers.  Other  countries  focus  on  spare  parts  design  or 
substance restrictions. Belgium, Germany, Spain, Malta, and Portugal adopted new measures 
aimed  to  encourage  the  reuse,  recycling  and  recovery  of  vehicle  components,  including 
promotion campaigns, technical guidelines, financial assistance for R&D and innovation, and 
permitting procedures. 

All  Member  States  have  adopted  legislation  which  restricts  the  use  of  lead,  mercury, 
cadmium and hexavalent chromium in vehicles and vehicle components, as well as detailed 
lists of exemptions from this heavy metal ban which in most cases literally transpose the text 
of Annex II to Directive 2000/53/EC. 

The  majority  of  Member  States  indicated  the  adoption  of  measures  aiming  to  ensure  that 
economic operators set up systems for the collection of all end-of-life vehicles and, as far as 
technically feasible, of waste used parts removed when passenger cars are repaired, as well as 
the  adequate  availability  of  collection  facilities  in  their  national  territory.  The  number  of 
authorised  treatment  facilities  ranges  from  0  in  Malta  to  over  1,500  in  Italy  which 
demonstrates a large discrepancy in terms of treatment capacity in different Member States. 

As  regards  the  organisational  responsibility  for  setting  up  the  collection  network,  some 
Member  States  made  all  economic  operators  organisationally  responsible  (Cyprus),  while 
others impose this responsibility on vehicle producers and importers (Austria, Spain, Finland, 
Hungary,  Ireland,  Italy,  Lithuania,  the  Netherlands).  Most  Member  States  specify  the 
geographical coverage that needs to be ensured by economic operators, which is either linked 
to  population  density  (Ireland)  or  geographical  distance  (e.g.  within  a  radius  of  50  km  in 
Hungary, Lithuania, and Slovenia). Latvia and Portugal provide for a possibility of joining a 
network  managed  by  an  independent  entity,  but  require  that  all  vehicle  manufacturers  or 

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importers  provide  evidence  of  association  with  such  a  network.  Slovenia  obliges  collection 
facilities  to  ensure  sufficient  coverage.  In  some  Member  States,  two  systems  operate  in 
parallel: that of facilities contracted with producers, and that of independent facilities (Ireland, 
the United Kingdom). 

All  Member  States  introduced  into  their  legislation  measures  which  aim  to  ensure  that  all 
end-of-life vehicles are transferred to authorised treatment facilities. In most cases, these 
provisions  introduce  obligatory  licensing  for  collection  and  treatment  facilities  and  oblige 
vehicle  last  owners  to  dispose  their  end-of-life  cars  only  in  licensed  collection  points.  Most 
Member  States  allow  for  vehicle  delivery  to  dealers  or  manufacturers,  from  whom  they  are 
further transferred to authorised treatment facilities. In most Member States it is an offence to 
abandon vehicles instead of delivering them to authorised treatment facilities or to collect and 
treat vehicles without the necessary authorisation. 

All Member States have reported having set up a deregistration system which links vehicle 
deregistration to the issuing of a certificate of destruction by an authorised treatment facility. 
A  minority  of  Member  States  provided  for  a  possibility  of  issuing  the  certificates  of 
destruction by producers, dealers and collectors on behalf of an authorised treatment facility. 
In all Member States, measures have been taken that ensure the transfer of end-of-life vehicles 
to authorised treatment facilities. 

All Member States indicated implementation of the free take-back provisions, according to 
which the take-back of an end-of-life vehicle needs to be done at least free of charge for the 
last vehicle holder, based on the principle of producer responsibility. In most cases, vehicles 
are  accepted  unless  they  miss  essential  components  enumerated  in  legislation  or  contain 
additional waste. A vehicle has a negative value where the costs of its management exceed the 
income  from  recovered  materials.  In  most  cases,  producer  responsibility  starts  at  this  point; 
however, acceptance of negative value vehicles was reported to be a rare case with the current 
material prices. 

Most Member States provide for mutual recognition of certificates of destruction issued in 
another Member State. 

In  all  Member  States,  establishments  planning  to  carry  our  end-of-life  vehicle  treatment 
operations need to obtain a permit or be registered with the competent national authorities. In 
most  cases,  the  regional  authorities  are  responsible  for  the  enforcement  of  the  permit 
obligations  specified  in  the  national  legislation:  they  issue  permits  and  monitor  treatment 
facilities in their respective administrative regions. The time within which depollution needs 
to be carried out ranges from 24 hours (Slovenia) to 3 months (Lithuania). 

The  majority  of  Member  States  indicated  the  encouragement  of  the  use  of  EMAS  or  ISO 
systems.  The  systems  are  typically  voluntary,  with  Member  States  offering  a  range  of 
incentives to companies which use them. In many Member States, the practice to use certified 
environmental management systems is becoming increasingly widespread. 

All  Member  States  reported  having  adopted  measures  in  line  with  the  waste  hierarchy 
prescribed  in  the  Directive  that  promotes  reuse,  recycling,  and  recovery  of  vehicle 
components, with disposal as the last recourse. Reuse, recycling and recovery is ensured, in 
the first place, through measures which aim to guarantee appropriate dismantling, storage and 
treatment of parts and materials suitable for these treatment options. An important element of 
each system is the depollution of end-of-life vehicles. Other measures include steps to create 

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markets  for  recyclates,  including  recycled  content  targets  in  new  products.  There  are  also 
financing  schemes  available  in  many  Member  States  aiming  to  promote  environmentally 
favourable treatment options. 

All  Member  States  confirmed  that  they  have  set  in  their  legislation  the  reuse/recovery  and 
reuse/recycling  targets.  In  most  cases,  national  targets  literally  transpose  those  of  the 
Directive, with the exception of the Netherlands where the target of 95% reuse/recovery and 
85%  reuse/recycling  was  to  be  met  until  2007  (the  date  is  currently  under  revision).  The 
parties  responsible  for  meeting  the  targets  include  producers  in  cooperation  with  other 
economic operators (Finland, Hungary), economic operators (Cyprus, Italy, Malta), producers 
and  importers  (Lithuania,  the  Netherlands),  public  service  providers  (Slovenia),  and 
authorised  treatment  facilities  (Ireland).  The  Czech  Republic,  Spain,  Greece,  Hungary, 
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom laid down 
lower rates for reuse, recycling and recovery for vehicles produced before 1 January 1980, in 
each case being at least 75% reuse/recovery and 70% reuse/recycling. The Czech Republic, 
Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom reported that the measure 
introducing these lower targets have been notified to the Commission, and in some cases also 
to  the  other  Member  States.  Spain,  Greece  and  Malta  have  not  yet  sent  the  official 
notification.  

Since the reporting obligation on the targets starts as of mid-2008 with data for the year 2006, 
only  limited  information  on  the  targets  achieved  before  2006  is  available.  From  those 
countries which have reported, in 2004 four Member States reached the 80% recycling target 
(Belgium,  Denmark,  the  Netherlands,  Sweden)  and  three  met  the  85%  recovery  target 
(Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden). Austria, Germany, and the United Kingdom were also 
close to meeting the 85% recycling target in 2004. 

All Member States adopted measures concerning the use of component and material coding 
standards  reflecting  those  of  Commission  Decision  2003/138/EC5  and  obliged  vehicle 
manufacturers to provide dismantling information for each type of new vehicle put on the 
market.  Belgium,  Cyprus,  Germany,  Denmark,  Spain,  Finland,  France,  Hungary, 
Luxembourg,  the  Netherlands,  Poland,  Portugal,  Slovenia,  and  Sweden  indicated  the  use  of 
the IDIS system (International Dismantling Information System) to facilitate dismantling and 
reuse  of  vehicle  parts.  In  all  Member  States,  there  are  provisions  concerning  dismantling, 
storage  and  testing  of  components  suitable  for  reuse.  Most  Member  States  oblige  vehicle 
producers to publish information concerning vehicle design, environmentally sound treatment, 
waste prevention and increased recycling and recovery. 

Since a part of information on the implementation of the Directive is to be provided insofar as 
available  and 
industrial 
confidentiality, not all Member States reported it to the Commission. 

to  protect  commercial  and 

into  account 

the  need 

taking 

In  most  Member  States,  no  new  prevention  measures  apart  from  those  required  by  the 
Directive  have  been  taken.  Germany,  the  Netherlands,  and  Sweden  reported  a  number  of 
actions  taken  by  the  vehicle  industry  in  order  to  limit  the  use  of  hazardous  substances  and 
facilitate vehicle reuse, recovery and recycling. As regards the design changes in cars aimed 
to  integrate  more  recyclates  into  vehicles,  only  a  few  Member  States  which  have  national 
vehicle  manufacturing  industry  (Germany,  France,  and  Sweden)  adopted  such  measures. 

5 

OJ L 53, 28.2.2003, p. 58. 

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Poland  and  France  indicated  that  the  main  barrier  to  further  progress  as  regards  the  use  of 
recycled polymers is the availability of secondary materials having the required properties at a 
competitive  price,  which  confirms  the  need  to  improve  markets  for  recyclates  across  the 
Community. 

Most Member States signalled no negative market value vehicles due to high metal prices, 
with the exception of Sweden and Lithuania where such cases were reported. In the majority 
of  cases,  vehicle  last  holders  receive  a  financial  reimbursement  for  the  returned  end-of-life 
cars. 

Most  Member  States  reported  no  changes  in  their  end-of-life  vehicle  management 
structures  and  no  competition  distortions,  with  several  countries  indicating  a  fall  in  the 
number of authorised treatment facilities as a result of stricter authorisation requirements.  

3. 

CONCLUSIONS 

Overall, although significant progress has been made in several Member States to transpose 
the  Directive,  implementation  of  this  legislation  cannot  be  considered  fully  satisfactory,  as 
demonstrated by a number of infringement procedures concerning this waste stream. In some 
Member States, although the Directive has been almost literally transposed into national law, 
the end-of-life vehicles management systems might not be fully operational. Deficiencies in 
the  effective  functioning  of  waste  management  systems  often  result  from  the  lack  of 
enforcement rather than missing transposition of the Community legislation. This issue needs 
particular attention and increased monitoring both on the Community and national level. It is 
therefore  important  to  step  up  implementation  and  enforcement  efforts  in  certain  Member 
States.  The  Commission  will  continue  the  conformity  checks  and  regularly  meet  with  the 
Member  States  in  order  to  address  any  deficiencies  in  the  implementation  of  Community 
legislation. 

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