AeA and Allen & Overy LLP Announce Launch of
New Online EU Environmental Law Compliance
Service by Spitalfields Projects LLP

New Online Service Provides Comprehensive Information on Implementation
of WEEE and RoHS Directives Across the European Union

New York, NY and Washington, DC (December 5, 2005) -- AeA, the largest U.S. high-tech trade association, and international law firm Allen & Overy LLP announced today that Spitalfields Projects LLP has launched EU Environmental Law Compliance, a new online service designed to help companies comply with the EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive and the EU Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive.

EU Environmental Law Compliance is owned and operated by Spitalfields Projects LLP, an affiliate of Allen & Overy. Content and technical assistance is provided by AeA and Allen & Overy, as well as other law firms in the EU.

More than 10 EU Member States – including the Netherlands, Ireland and Germany – currently require companies selling electronic products in their domestic markets to register with the appropriate domestic agencies and manage the waste of their products in accordance with specific recovery rates. In the coming months, several other Member States are expected to adopt similar requirements associated with electronic product recycling and green content.

“This unique product not only helps companies limit their exposure to the vagaries of legislation in 25 different countries (Member States),” said James Lovegrove, AeA Europe Managing Director, "but also empowers AeA Europe to provide timely, concise and technical information to legislators in Europe so as to tackle some of the key roadblocks to companies doing business in Europe.”

"The WEEE and RoHS Directives will directly or indirectly affect virtually every company around the world that sells electrical and electronic equipment into the EU," said Ken Rivlin, who is a partner at Allen & Overy in New York and head of its U.S. Environmental Law Group. "This website will enable companies to quickly identify key compliance issues, and we hope that it will help them anticipate challenges and develop successful compliance strategies."

"The EU is a critical market for high-tech companies in North America and Asia. EU Environmental Law Compliance will help companies ensure they are doing everything they can to comply with the new laws," said JP Brisson, who is a senior counsel in Allen & Overy's U.S. Environmental Law Group.

Lawyers involved in developing the EU Environmental Law Compliance online service include all members of Allen & Overy's 60-lawyer global environmental team, headed by Owen Lomas in London, as well as local counsel who were retained by Spitalfields Projects LLP to provide information in specific jurisdictions.

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About AeA
AeA, founded in 1943 by David Packard, is the largest high-tech trade association in the United States with nearly 2,500 companies, representing all segments of the industry and 1.8 million employees. Currently, AeA has 18 offices in and around the United States, as well as offices abroad in Brussels and Beijing. Our primary purpose is helping our members’ top and bottom lines by providing the following services: Access to Investors; State, Federal & International Lobbying; Insurance Services; Government Procurement; Business Networking; Foreign Market Access; Select Business Services; and Executive Education.
 

This page was last updated on 12/06/05.