The environment calendar highlights key dates for proposed and existing legislation and policy and closing dates for consultation papers relating to major environment issues in the EU and England.
It will provide a useful tool for environment managers tracking new legislation for the purpose of implementing an environment management system such as ISO 14001 or EMUS.
It will also be helpful for those in environment technologies industries seeking new opportunities by highlighting upcoming legislation.
Key developments this month include:
- The Better Regulation Commission’s Consultation on improving regulation and enforcement closes on 9 June. In particular the Commission is looking for comment on areas of regulatory activity that may benefit from more proportionate and consistent regulation and enforcement. Note also that the Better Regulation Executive is currently consulting on proposals for the reform of regulatory sanctions set as part of the ongoing Macrory review. This review was set up in response to the recommendations arising from the 2005 Hampton Report on regulatory inspections and enforcement. Stakeholders are invited to comment on the proposals, which include suggestions for the use of administrative fines and other non-criminal penalties to achieve effective resolution of some cases. This consultation closes on 18 August.
- 7th June is the closing date for responses to DEFRA’s Consultation on the European Commission’s current review of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) post 2012, which will play an important role in shaping the future of the Scheme post-2012. DEFRA’s consultation is intended to collect stakeholders’ views on the priority areas for the review.
- In addition, the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) Regulations 2005 come into force 1 July. From 1 July, a "producer" (as defined in the Regulations) may not put on the market in the EU specified categories of new electrical and electronic equipment, (including household appliances, IT and telecommunication equipment, electrical and electronic tools and other consumer equipment, if it contains more than the permitted levels of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) or polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)). The Regulations also effectively require component suppliers to verify the compliance of their products. The RoHS Regulations will inevitably have significant impacts across the entire product supply chain from manufacturers to end-users.
To view the latest monthly update of the calendar, click here to view the PDF in a new window.
This article was written for Law-Now, CMS Cameron McKenna's free online information service. To register for Law-Now, please go to www.law-now.com/law-now/mondaq
Law-Now information is for general purposes and guidance only. The information and opinions expressed in all Law-Now articles are not necessarily comprehensive and do not purport to give professional or legal advice. All Law-Now information relates to circumstances prevailing at the date of its original publication and may not have been updated to reflect subsequent developments.
The original publication date for this article was 02/06/2006.
