11/04/2005 – The agreement
between the European Parliament and the European
Council on a law aimed at improving the environmental
performance of electricity-consuming products
lacks ambition, says WWF.
This week the European Parliament is expected
to back the text of the new "eco-design
directive" applying to electricity-consuming
products entering the European market, such
as heating and lighting equipment, domestic
and office appliances.
WWF is extremely concerned that the lack
of minimum compulsory energy-efficiency standards
may undermine the overall objective of the
directive.
Since it is a "framework directive",
the European Commission will have to introduce
implementing measures that lay down precise
eco-design rules. However, voluntary agreements
and self-regulatory initiatives can be adopted
by the industry as an alternative to these
measures.
"This is the biggest loophole of the
new law," said Dr Stephan Singer, Head
of European Climate and Energy Policy Unit
at WWF.
"Voluntary agreements and the rejection
of an independent verification on their implementation
is nothing more than an incentive for producers
to avoid making the required innovations and
is bad for climate protection. It is an invitation
to cheat."
WWF also notes with great concern that Member
States who might be willing to phase out energy-wasting
products and cut climate pollution earlier
than others will only be able to do so after
navigating considerable bureaucratic obstacles.
On a positive note, WWF appreciates that
the agreement will make the Commission introduce
early implementing measures to reduce energy
waste for products with high stand-by losses,
which waste the most power.
WWF also welcomes that the development of
new electricity-consuming appliances in Europe
should have as a reference international best
practices.
"That is the minimum we could expect,"
Singer added. "This directive is a key
legislation for the EU to combat climate change
and meet the commitments taken under the Kyoto
Protocol."
In Europe electricity production represents
about one-third of CO2 emissions and electricity
demand is continuously rising. According to
the European Commission, by 2010 about 180
million tons of CO2, equal to all CO2 emissions
in the Netherlands, could be prevented with
new and energy-efficient appliances in Europe.
Notes:
• The draft directive establishing a framework
for the setting of eco-design requirements
for energy-using products has been debated
since August 2003, when the Commission presented
the initial proposal. Only in the last few
weeks the European Parliament and the Council
struck a compromise agreement, which should
be endorsed by the Parliament on Wednesday
13 April 2005.
• According to the text, a Member State will
be able to go beyond the minimum requirements
only on the basis of new scientific evidence
related to a specific problem arising after
the adoption of the implementing measures.
• WWF has launched the PowerSwitch! campaign
with the goal to get governments to cut CO2
pollution produced by coal power stations
and thereby force a switch to cleaner, more
efficient power.
