Commission Delegated Directive 2012/51/EU of 10 October 2012 amending, for the purposes of adapting to technical progress, Annex III to Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards an exemption for applications containing cadmium  Text with EEA relevance

18.12.2012 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 348/18
COMMISSION DELEGATED DIRECTIVE 2012/51/EU
of 10 October 2012
amending, for the purposes of adapting to technical progress, Annex III to Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards an exemption for applications containing cadmium
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2011 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (1), and in particular Article 5(1)(a) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Directive 2011/65/EU prohibits the use of cadmium in electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market.
(2) The substitution of cadmium in photoresistors for analogue optocouplers applied in professional audio equipment is still technically impracticable. The use of cadmium in those photoresistors should therefore be exempted from the prohibition. However, that exemption should be limited in time as the research for cadmium free technology is in progress and substitutes could become available by the end of 2013.
(3) Directive 2011/65/EU should therefore be amended accordingly,