Public Consultation on the Evaluation of Directive 2000/53/EC on the End of Life Vehicles (ELV)
Background
The European Commission has contracted Trinomics, the Oeko-Institut and Ricardo to perform a Study for the evaluation of Directive 2000/53/EC (ELV-directive).1
This study seeks to provide evidence to assess whether the objectives of Directive 2000/53/EC on the End of Life Vehicles (ELV) have been met, whether its provisions are sufficiently implemented and whether, as a result of these aspects, the ELV Directive supports the general objectives of the EU’s environmental policy.
About the ELV Directive
The main objectives of the ELV Directive are:
- to make dismantling, recycling and reusing these vehicles more environmentally friendly
- to push manufacturers to make new vehicles without hazardous substances, so their parts can later be reused.
About the Consultation
The process of evaluation follows the EC guidance for evaluations and considers the relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency and EU added value of the Directive’s provisions and the legislation implementing it. Results of a stakeholder consultation and a review of other information sources are being used in the study to compile, assess and synthesise evidence related to the requirements established by the Directive and what impacts these may have. All relevant aspects – legal, environmental, economic and social – will be considered.
Within the review process, the objective of the public stakeholder consultation has been to collect and to evaluate information and evidence to support the improvement of the Batteries Directive and of its implementation.
The consultation was held between 6 August 2019 - 29 October 2019 and has closed.
The consultation took place in the form of an on-line survey held on the European Commission's Consultation Webpage.
127 contributions were submitted to the stakeholder consultation and are to be analysed as a next stage.
Once the analysis has been performed, a final assessment of the contributions shall be included in the projects' Final Report and published at the end of the study on the Project publications page.
Directive provisions
Motor vehicles which have come to the end of their useful life and are no longer suitable for use generate millions of tonnes of waste. To minimise the impact on the environment, to ensure the better reuse of the materials and to improve energy conservation, European Union legislation stipulates how the new vehicles should be designed and how this waste should be collected and treated.
Act
The Directive sets out measures to prevent and limit waste from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) and their components and ensures that where possible this is reused, recycled or recovered.
Key Points
- Vehicle and equipment manufacturers must factor in the dismantling, reuse and recovery of the vehicles when designing and producing their products. They have to ensure that new vehicles are:
- reusable and/or recyclable to a minimum of 85 % by weight per vehicle
- reusable and/or recoverable to a minimum of 95 % by weight per vehicle.
- They may not use hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium.
- Manufacturers, importers and distributors, must provide systems to collect ELVs and, where technically feasible, used parts from repaired passenger cars.
- Owners of ELVs delivered for waste treatment receive a certificate of destruction. This is necessary to deregister the vehicle.
- Producers meet all, or a significant part, of the costs involved in the delivery to a waste treatment centre. There is no expense for the vehicle’s owner except rare cases where the engine is missing or the ELV is full of waste.
- Waste treatment centres must apply for a permit or register with the competent authorities.
- ELVs are first stripped before further treatment takes place. Hazardous materials and components are removed and separated. Attention is given to the potential reuse, recovery or recycling of the waste.
- Clear quantified targets for annual reporting to the European Commission exist for the reuse and recovery of ELVs. These have become increasingly more demanding.
- EU countries report to the European Commission every 3 years on the implementation of the directive.
- The legislation applies to passenger vehicles and small trucks but not to big trucks, vintage vehicles and special use vehicles.
Separate legislation applies to the reuse, recycling and recovery of vehicle parts and materials.
Background
For more information, see End of Life Vehicles on the European Commission’s website.
References
Act | Entry into force | Deadline for transposition in the Member States | Official Journal |
Directive 2000/53/EC | 21.10.2000 | 21.4.2002 |
Amending act(s) | Entry into force | Deadline for transposition in the Member States | Official Journal |
Directive 2008/33/EC | 21.3.2008 | - | |
Directive 2008/112/EC | 12.1.2009 | - |
The successive amendments and changes to the Annexes of Directive 2000/53/EC have been incorporated in the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.
Related acts
- Directive 2005/64/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2005 on the type-approval of motor vehicles with regard to their reusability, recyclability and recoverability and amending Council Directive 70/156/EEC (Official Journal L 310, 25.11.2005, pp. 10-27)
- Commission Decision 2005/293/EC of 1 April 2005 laying down detailed rules on the monitoring of the reuse/recovery and reuse/recycling targets set out in Directive 2000/53/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on end-of-life vehicles (OJ L 94, 13.4.2005, pp. 30-33)
- Commission Decision 2001/753/EC of 17 October 2001 concerning a questionnaire for Member States reports on the implementation of Directive 2000/53/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on end-of-life vehicles (OJ L 282, 26.10.2001, pp. 77-80)
- Commission Decision 2003/138/EC of 27 February 2003 establishing component and material coding standards for vehicles pursuant to Directive 2000/53/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on end-of-life vehicles (OJ L 53, 28.2.2003, pp. 58-59)
- Commission Decision 2002/151/EC of 19 February 2002 on minimum requirements for the certificate of destruction issued in accordance with Article 5(3) of Directive 2000/53/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on end-of-life vehicles (OJ L 50, 21.2.2002, pp. 94-95)