EU Directive 2002/95/EC on the Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment, commonly referred to as RoHS, was enacted in 2003 and came into force on 1 July 2006.

The objective of the RoHS directive is to protect human health and the environment and to contribute to environmentally sound recovery and disposal of electrical and electronic equipment. 

RoHS has prevented many thousands of tonnes of banned substances from being disposed of and potentially released into the environment. Other countries have followed this initiative by introducing their own RoHS legislations; China RoHS, Norwegian RoHS, Korea RoHS and Japan RoHS are just a few examples.

The RoHS Directive is being reviewed during 2009/2010. A first proposal for the review was presented by the European Commission in December 2008. The Commissions proposal to the parliament is based on the Öko-Institut report "Study on Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Not Regulated by the RoHS Directive".

The Council of Ministers work on the dossier in the Council working group and the review is discussed in the European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.

Member of Parliament and rapporteur of the review of the RoHS Directive, Jill Evans, published a draft report in November 2009, proposing restrictions on brominated- and chlorinated flame retardants and PVC from 2014. 

The vote in the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee is now scheduled for 2 June 2010. The vote in the European Parliament plenary is planned for 18 October 2010.