BEIJING, Dec. 5 -- It has been five months since the EU's Restriction of Hazardous Substances or RoHS Directive came into force. China issued similar regulations earlier this year.

    Stake-holders from both sides have met in Beijing to help those concerned adapt to the new rules.

    The EU Directive, which came into effect on July 1st, forbids the use of six hazardous substances in electrical and electronic products. The rule is expected to prevent over 50 billion US dollars worth of Chinese goods from entering the EU market.

    The China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, or CCCME, said since the enforcement, Chinese SMEs have been suffering from difficulties in internal control and management systems. But the Chamber says the situation is no cause for alarm.

    Liu Meikun, vice president of CCCME said, "Large companies have gone through the transition period to fully comply with the regulations. And there is still enough time for SMEs to further adjust to meet the requirements. The export volume to EU in the machinery and electronic sector in fact didn't decrease."

    In response to the EU directive, China also issued regulations on pollution control in electronic information industry in February. The new rules will take effect on March 1st, 2007.

    The basic principles are similar to the EU Rohs Directive. But there are still significant gaps and disparities between the two rules. Monday's EU-China RoHS Conference aims to enhance the two sides' communication, understanding and cooperation. In fact, the Chinese enterprises are calling to play a more important role in the international standards.

    Liu Meikun said, "We Chinese enterprises not only aim to comply with the Directive, but also we hope to participate in the policy-making process of the international regulations. In fact, some of our large companies have already had such capacities."

    Besides, two rounds of training will also be held in Shanghai and Guangzhou after the meeting, with the focus on the small and medium sized companies. During the meeting, the EU experts will discuss some particular issues in Rohs execution.

(Source: CCTV.com)