Conferences & Workshops

World Standards Day 2005: “International Cooperation in Standardisation” - Brussels, 14 October 2005

Conference organised by the Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General

14 October is the World Standards Day. On this occasion, the European Commission will organize in Brussels a conference focused on the benefits and the challenges that international standardisation and cooperation in this domain bring to open markets and industry growth for the benefit of citizens.

The event will bring together high-level policy makers, standardisers and industry members from Europe and abroad.

Participants are invited to bring in their personal experience and to challenge traditional policy responses.

The deadline for registration is September 23rd 2005.

For more information please visit: http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/standards_policy/international/world_standards_day/2005_en.htm

PRE-PACKED PRODUCTS Commission wishes to improve guidance

Enterprise Europe, Brussels, 24 August 2005 ? Earlier this year (from 24 January to 15 March 2005), the Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry held a public consultation on packaging via internet with consumers, producers, retailers and authorities. Stakeholders were asked to give their views on alternatives for the existing Community legislation on labelling of quantities and the metrological requirements for prepackages on the basis of a Commission staff working paper setting out the key issues.

Close to 500 comments and views were received from authorities, trade federations, consumer organisations and individual consumers and companies. The results were examined with public authorities in a meeting on 19/20 May 2005 of Working Group 6 of WELMEC, the Western European Legal Metrology Cooperation.

In the report based on the consultation, Commission services suggest that regulatory changes at Community level are not needed and that most issues identified can be dealt with by voluntary documents and guidance.

Stakeholders should send their reactions to the report before 15 October 2005 to: Entr-metrology@cec.eu.int

Links Report on Public Consultation http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/prepack/metrol_requir/report_public_consultation.pdf

Consultation Document http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/prepack/documents/work_doc_metrolog_requirem_jan_2005.pdf

Business Impact Analysis on conformity assessment in prepackages http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/prepack/metrol_requir/prelimn_impact_assessm_oct2003.pdf

Communicating European Research 2005 International Conference Brussels Exhibition Center (Heysel) 14-15 November 2005

On 14-15 November, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research will host the second “Communicating European Research” conference. Based on the very positive experiences from the 2004 edition, the event will focus on the manifold aspects of science communication and will provide an excellent forum and meeting place for scientists, communication professionals and journalists. The conference will also take stock of the way towards the Seventh Framework Programme.

Promoting successful science communication Around 3000 participants including project co-ordinators, journalists and other communication professionals, press officers and representatives from research organisations will meet to promote mutual understanding of their respective roles, to share best practice and to define strategies to improve communication, outreach and dissemination of research results to the public and the press at a European level.

Showcasing European research Throughout the event, latest research results and current scientific activities will be presented to the media in press conferences and media briefings. A huge exhibition will feature selected research initiatives as well as the communication strategies of research organisations. Dissemination networks, media associations, relevant publications and editorials together with companies and service providers in the field of information and communication will present their products and services.

The next FP on the horizon At the time of CER 2005, the preparation of the 7th Framework Programme will be in full swing and the current state of play will be presented. FP6 already emphasized communication and dissemination tasks and contributed greatly to raising awareness of these fundamental requirements. Should FP7 take us a step further? How can the effectiveness of EU-funded research benefit from more concrete communication and dissemination schemes? What activities and at what level should be encouraged or even made obligatory?

Improving skills Learning about successes and failures of others, sharing own experiences, meeting players from different ends of the communication spectrum will certainly spin off numerous ideas and initiatives. Above that, hands-on workshops and tutorials will provide the opportunity to hone some of your communications skills. And who knows, you might even learn a new trick… communication strategies of research organisations, media associations, relevant publications and editorials together with companies and all kind of service providers in the field of information and communication of science. To express your interest, please reply to the call for proposals. A basic exhibition package will be offered free of charge to all exhibitors.

For more information please see: http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/conferences/2005/cer2005/index_en.html

'Revision of the Guidelines on State Aid for Environmental Protection'

The Commission has recently published a questionnaire for public consultation on 'Revision of the Guidelines on State Aid for Environmental Protection'. There are some points (ex. p. 6, 7, 9, 10) which you might consider relevant to the construction industry. Deadline for replies is the 10th of October 2005.

Please find below a link to the questionnaire: http://http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/competition/state_aid/others/00910_questionnaire_env_en.pdf

RENEWABLE ENERGIES FOR EUROPE - RESEARCH IN ACTION Brussels, 21-22 November 2005

The European Commission Research Directorate organises a major conference on renewable energy research.

The aim is to present the important role that renewable energy research plays in Europe and enhance awareness on the opportunities ahead among the stakeholders. European success stories will be analysed and the existing and planned European renewable energy technology platforms on PV, biofuels, and wind will be presented. A particular emphasis will be placed on learning from national research programmes and examining possibilities to stimulate coordination. The potential of the different renewable energies will be put in the wider context of the renewable energy portfolio and market conditions.

The conference is designed to attract high-level participants from the spheres of research, science and technology, industry and policy making from all over Europe. This event should be of special value for those interested in defining the way forward for renewable energies in the Seventh Framework Programme.

A posters exhibition is dedicated to display complementary information on centres of excellence and activities currently under way in the new Member States and Candidate Countries.

Link to the conference http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/energy/gp/gp_events/action/article_2790_en.htm

ECTP conference will be organised in Paris, in October 25, 2005, by the European Construction Technology Platform.

Major stakeholders of the construction sector will meet to revise R&D priorities and other topics.

Registration is available at www.ectp.org.

Contact ECTP secretariat secretariat.ectp@cstb.fr for more information

Stakeholder consultation on Adaptation to scientific and technical progress under Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment for the purpose of a possible amendment of the annex

4. Consultation of interested parties

In preparation of the decision for the consideration of the items listed above based on Article 5(1) (b), the Commission services would like to consult interested parties.

1. Introduction

Article 4(1) of Directive 2002/95/EC on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (1) provides ‘that from 1 July 2006, new electrical and electronic equipment put on the market does not contain lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, PBB or PBDE.’ The annex to the Directive lists a limited number of applications of lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium, which are exempted from the requirements of Article 4(1).

According to Article 5 (2) of Directive 2002/95/EC the Commission is required to consult the relevant stakeholders before amending the annex. The results of this consultation will be forwarded to the Technical Adaptation Committee of the Directive 2002/95/EC and the Commission services will provide an account of the information received. Although the Commission will analyse the results of this stakeholder consultation carefully, please note that as with all stakeholder consultations, this action is only one part of the decision making process.

Neither the fact that a stakeholder consultation is being launched, nor the results of this stakeholder consultation should be interpreted as a political or legal signal that the Commission intends to take a given action.

2. Proposal for additional exemptions

Article 5(1)(b) of Directive 2002/95/EC provides that materials and components can be exempted from the substance restrictions contained in Article 4(1) if their elimination or substitution via design changes or materials and components which do not require any of the materials or substances referred to therein is technically or scientifically impracticable, or where the negative environmental, health and/or consumer safety impacts caused by substitution outweigh the environmental, health and/or consumer safety benefits thereof.

On the basis of this provision the Commission has received from industry additional requests for applications to be exempted from the requirements of the RoHS Directive.

It should be noted that since the wording for some of the exemptions is not self explanatory, some exemption requests may overlap with exemption requests covered by previous consultations. The Commission services have published the requests as worded by the submitters.

The titles for the exemptions as submitted by industry and the request for exemptions, with the substantiated evidence (available by clicking on the title), are:

Linear incandescent lamp; Mercury in switches; Special ICs having tin-lead solder plating on leads used in professional equipment; Specific modular units including tin-lead solder being used in special professional equipment; Solders containing lead and /or cadmium for specific applications where local temperature is higher than 150 deg C and which need to work properly more than 500 hours; Lead in solder for printed circuit boards for emergency lighting products; Hexavalent chromium (Cr-VI) in chromate conversion coatings as surface treatment; Lead in gas sensors; Concerning of PbO (Lead in Seal Frit) used for making BLU (Back Light Unit) Lam; Cadmium in opto-electronic components; Non-consumer mechanical power transmission systems including speed reducers and mechanical couplings which rely on electrical/electronic components for safe control and operation; Electrical and electronic components contained in heating ventilating and air conditioning building systems, commercial refrigeration systems and transport refrigeration systems; Cadmium-bearing copper alloys; Electrical/electronic components contained mobile and stationary air compressors and vacuum systems, compressed air contaminant removal systems and pneumatic contractor’s air tools; Electrical/electronic equipmentthat are: used in transport -aviation, aerospace, road, maritime, rail; installed in to the fabric of buildings – elevators, escalators, moving walks, dumb waiters, and heating, cooling and ventilation systems, and fire and security systems; used in the energy generation and transmission; used in mining and mineral processing; used for non-consumer mechanical power transmission systems; industrial process pumps and compressors; used in industrial refrigeration; and used in military applications; Lead alloys as electrical/mechanical solder for transducers used in high-powered professional and commercial loudspeakers; Cadmium oxide; Solder tin of the thermo fuse with a defined low melting point; Lead in lead oxide glass used in plasma display panel (PDP); Lead in solder on small PCB and tinned legs of primary components; Use of the not lead free component NEC V25 in the Memor 2000; Lead used in shielding of radiation for Non Medical X-ray equipment Lead based solders sealed or captured within heat-shrinkable components and devices.

In particular, stakeholders are requested to provide, for each entry, information on: the current existence of feasible substitutes in an industrial and/or commercial scale; any restrictions that apply to such substitutes; the costs and benefi