REPLY, UNITED STATES CONCERN OVER THE EU BATTERY DIRECTIVE

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 003280 SIPDIS STATE PASS TO PENELOPE NAAS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EIND ETRD SENV NL EUN SUBJECT: REPLY, UNITED STATES CONCERN OVER THE EU BATTERY DIRECTIVE REF: SECSTATE 259043 ¶1. In response to reftel, the Netherlands, in its role as EU Preside proposed amendments to the EU Battery Directive ("Directive"). As a government advocates an unqualified ban on all portable cadmium, merc ¶2. The Dutch already have a collection system in place for small chem Collection bins are located in supermarkets, stores, schools and offi batteries at "Chem-cars," collection vans reminiscent of ice cream tr municipalities while playing music as a clarion call to small waste c supplement the national collection system with their own systems. ¶3. The Netherlands has set collection targets at ninety per cent of a batteries represent the sum of collected and discarded batteries. A and Environment (VROM) official told EmbassyOff the Netherlands is no one per cent collection rate. ¶4. In the Netherlands, the 1995 Batteries Management Decree ("Decree" batteries weighing 1000 grams or less by battery manufacturers and im battery manufacturers and importers subsidize all collection activity products containing easily changeable batteries or separate batteries manufacturers and importers" under the Decree and are required to col nonprofit organization, implements the battery collection and recycli compliance. ¶5. The Netherlands has not conducted an assessment of the Directive' appliance and battery manufacturers because -- as a VROM official exp of the variety of batteries proscribed by the proposed EP ban in the SOBEL