Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2025/2364 of 8 September 2025 amending Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards an exemption for lead as an alloying element in steel, aluminium and copper

• CELEX: Delegated Directive (EU) 2025/2364
• Articles: 5

Article 1

Annex III to Directive 2011/65/EU is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Directive.

Article 2

1.   Member States shall adopt and publish, by 30 June 2026 at the latest, the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive. They shall forthwith communicate to the Commission the text of those provisions.

They shall apply those provisions from 1 July 2026.

When Member States adopt those provisions, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. Member States shall determine how such reference is to be made.

2.   Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.

Article 3

This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union .

Article 4

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.

Schedules & Appendices

ANNEX

ANNEX

In Annex III to Directive 2011/65/EU, points 6(a), 6(a)-I, 6(b), 6(b)-I, 6(b)-II and 6(c) are replaced by the following:

‘6(a)

Lead as an alloying element in steel for machining purposes and in galvanised steel containing up to 0,35 % lead by weight

Expires on 11 december 2026

6(a)-I

Lead as an alloying element in steel for machining purposes containing up to 0,35 % lead by weight  ( *1 )

Expires on 30 June 2027 for all categories.

6(a)-II

Lead as an alloying element in batch hot-dip galvanised steel components containing up to 0,2 % lead by weight  ( *1 )

Expires on 30 June 2027 for all categories.

6(b)

Lead as an alloying element in aluminium containing up to 0,4 % lead by weight

Expires on 11 June 2027

6(b)-I

Lead as an alloying element in aluminium containing up to 0,4 % lead by weight, provided it stems from lead-bearing aluminium scrap recycling  ( *1 )

Expires on 11 december 2026 for categories 1-7, 10.

Expires on 30 June 2027 for categories 9 industrial monitoring and control instruments, and 11.

6(b)-II

Lead as an alloying element in aluminium for machining purposes with a lead content up to 0,4 % by weight  ( *1 )

Expires on 11 June 2027 for categories 1-7, 10.

Expires on 30 June 2027 for categories 9 industrial monitoring and control instruments and 11 (*).

6(b)-III

Lead as an alloying element in aluminium casting alloys containing up to 0,3 % lead by weight provided it stems from lead-bearing aluminium scrap recycling  ( *1 )

Expires on 30 June 2027 for categories 1-8, 9 other than industrial monitoring and control instruments, and 10.

6(c)

Copper alloy containing up to 4 % lead by weight  ( *1 )

Expires on 30 June 2027.

( *1 )   The exemption shall not cover EEE for supply to the general public where the EEE or accessible part thereof may, during normal or foreseeable conditions of use, be placed in the mouth by children. However, the exemption shall apply where the following can be both demonstrated:

—

the rate of lead release from such an EEE or any accessible part, whether coated or uncoated, does not exceed 0,05 μg/cm 2 per hour (equivalent to 0,05 μg/g/h),

—

for coated articles, that the coating is sufficient to ensure that this release rate is not exceeded for a period of at least two years of normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use of the EEE.

For the purpose of this footnote, it is considered that an EEE or accessible part of an EEE may be placed in the mouth by children if it is smaller than 5 cm in one dimension or has a detachable or protruding part of that size.’.