The judgment of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Case C-181/20 has declared several provisions of Directive 2012/19/EU (WEEE Directive) invalid. These provisions allowed member states to impose costs on manufacturers of photovoltaic modules for old devices that were put on the market before the WEEE Directive came into effect. The ECJ classified this as an impermissible retroactive effect.
With the Directive (EU) 2024/884 the unlawful provisions were amended. All member states are now required to review their national legislation to ensure compliance with the new directive.
In Germany, the legislature has determined that no adjustments to national law are necessary. This is evident from the announcement published on April 15, 2024, on the implementation of Directive (EU) 2024/884 of the European Parliament and of the Council of March 13, 2024, amending Directive 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment.
