EU Commission proposes new RoHS exemptions for lead and cadmium

The European Commission has published a draft delegated directive to amend Annexes III and IV of the RoHS Directive (2011/65/EU) with updated exemptions for lead and cadmium in certain electrical and electronic equipment. The aim is to adapt existing derogations to technical and scientific progress while maintaining consistency with REACH and overall health and environmental protection.

The proposal restructures and renews a number of exemptions covering, among others, glass components, fluorescent lamps, solders for ceramic multilayer capacitors, crystal glass and specialised oxygen sensors. For each exemption, the draft now sets new, category‑specific expiry dates expressed as a fixed period (12, 18, 30, 54 or 78 months) after the directive enters into force, which will apply across the relevant RoHS categories.

For manufacturers, the key point is that many familiar exemptions do not simply disappear when their original dates pass; instead, they are being renewed with clearer wording and differentiated timelines, especially for medical devices and industrial monitoring and control instruments. However, all renewed exemptions remain temporary and will need to be tracked carefully in product compliance planning.

The delegated directive will require Member States to transpose the changes into national law within six months of its entry into force, and apply them one day later. Companies relying on RoHS exemptions for lead or cadmium should review which points in Annexes III and IV they use today and check how the proposed new expiry periods align with their product lifecycles.

Source: Draft Commission Delegated Directive amending Directive 2011/65/EU (RoHS) as regards exemptions for lead and cadmium in certain electrical and electronic equipment.