The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety adopted the report drawn up by Magor Imre CSIBI (ALDE, RO) amending, under the first reading of the codecision procedure, the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy related products (recast).
The main amendments are as follows:
Scope: while the Commission only proposes to extend the scope of Directive 2005/32/EC to "energy related products", defined as "any product having an impact on energy consumption during use", MEPs propose the immediate extension of the scope to all products. The overall objective of this extension is not only to ensure the free movement of products, but to improve as well their environmental performance.
Definitions: MEPs amended the definition of “life cycle” to clarify that this means the consecutive and interlinked stages of a product from raw material use to final disposal, reuse or recycling. Moreover, MEPs stress that all assessments of a product's “environmental performance” must be based on a lifecycle approach.
Implementing measures: when developing the draft implementing measure, the Commission must consider the life cycle of the product, including the production process, and all its significant environmental aspects, inter alia, energy and resource efficiency.
Working plan: the Commission shall not later than 6 July 2010 establish a working plan which shall be made publicly available. Moreover, MEPs suggest a minimum rhythm of three years for the Commission to come up with a new working plan in order to make sure that there is continuous improvement and planning certainty for industry.
Consultation forum: the Consultation forum should aim at broadest possible dialogue. In this context, the parties concerned shall contribute, in particular, to defining and reviewing implementing measures and relevant additional measures to stimulate environmental performance of products throughout their whole life-cycle, such as the promotion of alternative business models.
Review: the Commission shall, after consultation of the Consultation, review the effectiveness of the Directive and of its implementing measures, including inter alia:
- the effectiveness of the methodology supporting the preparation of implementing measures, looking specifically at the whole life-cycle of products including the sustainable management of resources and the promotion of reuse and recycling;
- the threshold for implementing measures;
- market surveillance mechanisms;
- any relevant self-regulation stimulated, including the promotion of alternative business models to foster environmental performance throughout the life-cycle of products.
In the light of the results of the review, the Commission shall present, not later than 2012, proposals to the European Parliament and the Council for amending the Directive with a view to extending its scope to non-energy-related products in respect of which there is significant potential for reducing their environmental impacts throughout their whole life-cycle.
Not later than 2011, the Commission shall develop a methodology to prepare implementing measures and facilitate the prioritisation process for non-energy-related products.