The Commission's strategy, presented in Brussels on 16 July by EU Industry Commissioner Günther Verheugen and EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, is based on a combination of voluntary and binding measures designed to mitigate the energy use and environmental impact of products.
Under the draft plans, products like windows and shower heads are to fall under the scope of existing rules for energy-using items as set out by the EuP Directive. They will be banned from the EU market if they do not meet certain standards related to energy consumption.
This represents a step-down from earlier plans in which the Commission was contemplating expanding the scheme to a wider range of consumer goods, like footwear and furniture (EurActiv 28/04/08).
In an apparent effort to strike a balance between regulatory and market-based instruments, industry is being urged to develop benchmarks and voluntary standards for the various products that would be affected by the plans. The Commission said it would step in and regulate specific standards in cases where industry initiatives are deemed insufficient.
The package of measures, contained in 'action plans' on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) and on a Sustainable Industrial Policy (SIP), includes:
- A proposal to revise and expand the scope of the EuP Directive to all energy-related products;
- A widened scope for the use of labels that detail the energy use or impact of products;
- New public procurement rules to favour the uptake of 'green' products;
- A revision and expansion of the EU's Ecolabel or flower scheme to include, among others, food and drink products, and;
- A revision of the voluntary eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS).
Implementation - patience required
The products that will be affected by the measures still need to be determined and will be the subject of negotiation between Council and Parliament. Certain products will also require 'priority action' due to their greater impact on energy use, but, again, the precise list of such goods still needs to be determined, according to the Commission.
Once specificied, the minimum requirements will be set either by industry or by the special committees of EU experts according to the exisiting implementing measures set out in the EuP Directive.
"Nobody can answer" when asked precisely when the new rules will actually enter into force and affect products on the market, Verheugen told journalists in Brussels on 16 July. There is a need to "be a little bit patient," he said.
However, the commissioner "does not expect major difficulties" during the negotiations between Council and Parliament and speculated that industry would set the first benchmarks for priority products "not more than two years" from today.
