UAE: RoHS Draft Legislation Submitted to the Federal National Council

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been working on a new legislation for the restriction of the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Three different draft versions have been discussed since last summer. Now, a finalized draft version has been submitted to the Federal National Council and is expected to be approved soon. According to the draft regulation, the final law shall enter into force one year after its publication in the UAE Official Gazette.

Basically, the UAE RoHS draft regulation is based on EU RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU. As in the EU, the following substances are intended to be restricted, with identical thresholds: Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Hexavalent chromium, Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) as well as the four phtahaltes which were added in March 2015: Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP).

Despite the similarities, there are differences with respect to transition periods and compliance requirements, as e.g. registration and certification duties. It is prohibited to display or sell any products in the UAE unless they are registered under ECAS or have a certificate or mark accepted by ESMA.

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