EC Taking Action Over Missed Scrap Car Deadline

The European Commission has started legal action against all 15 European Union member states for failing to meet the deadline over stringent new rules about handling scrap cars.

The move follows the failure by the 15 governments to approve national legislation by the April 21 deadline to implement the controversial "end-of-life vehicles" directive.

The law, agreed by the member governments and European parliament in May 2000, will entitle consumers to hand back their scrap cars at no cost from 2007 and will set strict recycling targets.

The rules are part of the Commission's campaign to reduce waste and make industry pay for the pollution it causes, and are expected to cost the motor industry billions of euros. They have been the subject of intense lobbying from the carmakers. So far, however, EU governments - even those from the Nordic countries which are normally quick to implement environmental rules - have proved unable to transpose the vehicles directive into national law.

Officials said their failure was partly because of the complexity of the legislation, and partly because of heavy lobbying from industry and consumer groups over how best to adapt the legislation to national circumstances.

"The directive was only agreed after messy conciliation talks between member states and the European parliament and it's not at all easy to implement," said one diplomat.

"Every member state is struggling with its own problems over who should bear the costs."

Under the rules, consumers will be entitled to hand back old cars free of charge from 2007, regardless of when the vehicles were manufactured, with carmakers shouldering a "significant part" of the expense.

Member states have the option of starting earlier than 2007, and are in discussions about what regime should apply over the interim period.

The rules will also force carmakers to recycle or re-use 80 per cent of car weight from 2006, rising to 85 per cent by 2015, and ban the use of heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium from 2003.

In the UK, Germany and France, governments are expected to place the initial burden of recycling requirements on car owners, raising fears among environmental groups and local authorities that the number of abandoned cars will increase significantly.

The failure of EU member governments to meet the deadlines set out in the legislation has angered members of the European parliament.

"Governments across Europe are signing up to new legislation that everyone agrees will be good for the environment, only then to completely ignore the legally binding deadlines they have agreed," said Chris Davies, Liberal Democrat environment spokesman in the parliament.

"If EU governments refuse to show any respect for the law, how can we expect anyone else to do so?" Financial Times