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Subject Report Updated: Product Take Back in Belgium

November 5, 2008

Belgium - Product Take-Back

Belgium is a Federation of three Regions (Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels), and waste management is the responsibility of the Regions. This makes WEEE implementation complicated. Each region has its own WEEE regulations, which implement the WEEE Directive.

With respect hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment ("EEE"), the situation is different. The Belgian Federal government has jurisdiction over this issue. The Federal Government has adopted a Royal Decree of 12 October 2004 to implement the RoHS Directive (the “RoHS Decree”). The RoHS Decree has been issued pursuant to the Belgian law of 21/12/1998 on products norms aimed at the promotion of sustainable consumption and production and environment and health protection. The RoHS Decree has been adapted twice to reflect Commission Decisions amending the RoHS Annex. The first amending decree is ‘Arrêté royal modifiant l'arrêté royal du 12 octobre 2004 relatif à la prévention des substances dangereuses dans les équipements électriques et électroniques’ of 14 June 2006, and the second one is ‘Arrêté royal modifiant l'annexe III de l'arrêté royal du 12 octobre 2004 relatif à la prévention des substances dangereuses dans les équipements électriques et électroniques’ of 10 December 2007.