Trade groups calls for UAE law harmonised with EU’s RoHS

The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) draft regulation to restrict hazardous chemicals in electronics should be brought more in line with the EU’s RoHS Directive, say European and Asian trade bodies.
 
In this August, UAS submitted the draft to World Trade Organisation (WTO). The substances under regulation thereof are the same as that in RoHS 2.0 (four heavy metals and six phthalates).
 
DigitalEurope, the Korean Electronics Association (KEA) and Toy Industries of Europe (TIE) called for the relevant UAE laws to be in line with EU RoHS during public consultation so as to facilitate the across-border compliance in the global supply chain. Meanwhile, they want the “technical documentation for the assessment of electrical and electronic products, with respect to the restriction of hazardous substances” that conform to EU RoHS can be utilised for RoHS compliance in UAE.
 
They also say that the UAE’s draft is lack of compliance details with no clear assessment methods and requirement definitions.
 
UAE authorities amended the proposal in response to the review of public consultation, but it mainly changed the implementation date of partial products.
 
DigitalEurope still holds that the revised draft is not what we originally had expected due to legal uncertainties. It also shows its keen desire to cooperate with the authorities aiming to adjust regulation details, make EU RoHS harmonised with EU RoHS and eliminate uncertainties.