South East’s Church Organs
spared from EU ban - MEP

Nirj Deva MEP is celebrating today (Tuesday) having finally received confirmation from the European Commission that neither existing church organs nor new church organs in the South East are to be affected by European environment legislation, which it had been feared might have banned the use of lead in church organ pipes.

Organists and organ builders, scores of which have written to Deva to protest at the rumoured ban, had maintained that lead was an essential component in giving church organ pipes their distinctive sound.

Last week Conservative Spokesman for the Environment, Caroline Jackson had received assurance from the European Commission that existing organ pipes would not be covered by EU legislation, but the question of whether production of new organ pipes would be affected remained unresolved.

This matter was finally laid to rest in Monday where the European Commission and EU member states agreed that the new RoHS and WEEE directives did not affect existing or new church organs.

Nirj Deva said:

"At last we have a definite answer from the Commission on whether new church organs will be affected by new EU environment directives.

“I'm pleased that the Commission and the departments responsible in the member states have applied some common sense to this issue and come up with what in fact was always going to be the only common sense answer - no, neither new, nor existing, church organs are covered by this legislation.

“Here ends yet another EU public relations disaster of their own creation”.