European and External Relations Committee, 06 Jun 2006

Meeting date: Tuesday, June 6, 2006

Official Report 330KB pdf

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European Union Legislation (Transposition and Implementation)

I hate to take members back the way, but I missed out an agenda item.

We did not even notice.

Phil Gallie noticed.

Did he? He would.

My head is full of structural funds. I am sorry to confuse everyone as much as I am confused myself, but we must go back to agenda item 4, which is an update on the transposition and implementation of EU legislation in Scotland. I am sure that everyone has read the paper closely and is ready to give lots of comments.

I certainly have one comment. I do not underestimate the difficulties that are involved in directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment—the WEEE directive—and I do not underestimate how complex it is or how difficult it will be to ensure that UK and Scottish law are able to move forward at the same time, but I am concerned that the matter has been on-going for some time. Everyone will be aware of the impending explosion in waste electronic equipment, from old computers in particular, due to the advance of technology and the impact on third world countries as they deal with the outfall from western economies—stuff gets dumped in China on poorer people. There is also the possibility of infraction proceedings flowing from our not implementing the directive.

Could the committee get more information on that? Once we see the information, we could ask the Environment and Rural Development Committee to hold an inquiry into the subject. I realise that our work programme makes it difficult for us to do that. Another committee may be examining the subject and issues may have arisen before I rejoined the committee, about which I am unaware. The issue is important; we need to start to deal with it in a significant way.

If I remember correctly, although we have exchanged a considerable amount of correspondence with the Executive on the subject, it has been a few months since we last received an update. Obviously, the subject is complicated. The UK is not the only member state to find difficulty with the issue; that, in a sense, gives us more leeway. Given the situation in other member states, I would be surprised if infraction proceedings were to be commenced. I agree with Bruce Crawford that we should write to the Executive to find out what the current position is.

Perhaps the clerks could investigate whether another committee is examining the matter. We could drop a letter of concern to the Environment and Rural Development Committee and ask it whether it has considered the issue.

We should first see the Executive's response. I accept what Irene Oldfather says; all member states are having difficulty. It is an equally difficult issue for the third-world countries that are having to deal with some of the stuff that they have had dumped on them. There is an imperative on us to get this right.

A moral imperative.

Okay. Members have no other issues to raise under this item, so I suggest that we write to the Executive to ask why the things that are late are late and whether there are any financial implications for Scotland. Are we agreed?

Members indicated agreement.