For those of you that think it can't be done, a colleague's company has just received interim WEEE registration in Germany. They worked with one of the firms like Ageus Solutions that can assist in this regard.
Interesting points that came out of this process:
1. Germany's WEEE/RoHS organization (EAR) is understaffed and is therefore experiencing significant delays in parts of the registration process, hence interim registrations are given. It appears that unregistered products will not be banned from sale immediatley, due to the lack of staffing, confusion etc.
2. Even though there was a November registration deadline in Germany, producer responsibility (take-back) is not required until March 24th 2006.
3. One other anomaly about the registration, pointed out by my friend, is that in the process, registration must be paid to the EAR through direct debit in German funds. Fortunately, my colleague's company has an office in Germany and this was not a difficult task ... for those that do not, this may be yet another challenge. Many consultants have the ability to pay the registration in German funds ... one of the other advantages of hiring a consultant to guide companies through the registration process.
Cheers,
Dr. Ron