THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2011 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment(1) and in particular Article 5(1)(a) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Directive 2011/65/EU requires Member States to ensure that electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market does not contain lead.
(2) Point 34 of Annex III to Directive 2011/65/EU exempted the use of lead in cermet-based trimmer potentiometer elements until 21 July 2016. The Commission received an application for renewal of this exemption in relation to categories 1 to 7 and 10 before 21 January 2015, in accordance with Article 5(5) of Directive 2011/65/EU.
(3) Trimmer potentiometers are variable resistors. They work with a wiper to adjust the resistance of the circuit. They are applied in a wide range of products like, e.g. audiovisual equipment, communication equipment, toys and measuring devices, electrical household appliances. They contain lead as lead oxide in resistive inks where it acts as a bonding agent.
(4) Currently, there are no reliable lead-free alternatives available so that substitution of lead is still scientifically and technically impracticable.
(5) Since for the applications concerned in categories 1 to 7 and 10, no sufficiently reliable alternatives are available on the market or are likely to be available on the market in the near future, validity period until 21 July 2021 is justified. For categories other than categories 1 to 7 and 10, the existing exemption is valid as per the validity periods set out in the second subparagraph of Article 5(2) of Directive 2011/65/EU.
(6) Directive 2011/65/EU should therefore be amended accordingly,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: