European Countries Taken to Court Over ELV Directive

The European Commission has referred eight member states to the EU's Court of Justice because they failed to transpose the European rules on the scrapping of old cars. 

The End-of-Life Vehicles Directive adopted in September 2000 prescribes to the Member States how to deal with waste from motor vehicles that have reached the end of their life. The aim is to make car dismantling and recycling more environmentally friendly.

The Directive sets recovery targets of 85 per cent of all ELVs by weight by January 2006 (minimum 80 per cent recycling) and 95 per cent by January 2015 (minimum 85 per cent recycling). It stipulates, among other things, that member states have to set up collection systems for end-of-life vehicles and for waste used parts. The deadline for transposing this Directive into national law was April 21, 2002.

Eight Member States have failed to adapt their national laws to these EU rules and are therefore taken to Court by the Commission: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, United Kingdom, Ireland, Greece, and Finland. The Commission can ask the Court to impose a fine on the Member States concerned.