SLOVAK RESPONSE TO BATTERY DIRECTIVE

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 001143

SIPDIS


STATE FOR OES/EGC, EUR/AGS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EIND ETRD SENV LO EUN
SUBJECT: SLOVAK RESPONSE TO BATTERY DIRECTIVE

REF: STATE 259043


1. Per reftel, On December 7 Econoff delivered questions
about the EU's battery directive to Peter Gallovic, Director
of Waste Management at the Ministry of Environment. On
December 21, Gallovic reported that the GOS supports the new
proposal of the Council Chairmanship to introduce a partial
ban of cadmium in batteries. They further agree with the
proposed ban of batteries that contain more than 0.0005
percent of their weight in mercury. Slovakia does not have
a special collection system in place for portable batteries,
though the law does state that they must be separated from
normal household trash.


2. The GOS supports the proposal to set the collection
limits at 20 percent after four years and 35 or 40 percent
after seven years. Conversely, the GOS does not support the
proposal to incorporate long-term collection targets at the
10 year mark. As for financing the collection, Gallovic
stated that they support paragraph 20 of the current
proposal which stipulates that third parties would cover all
costs associated with collection, administration, and
recycling of batteries. Finally, the GOS has not performed
any local impact studies.

THAYER


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