Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-01-31-Speech-3-186"
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Mr President, I must first thank Mrs McNally for her excellent report. I would also like to thank Parliament for its broad support for this proposal. In the Commission’s view this proposal will make a significant contribution to improving energy efficiency and therefore to controlling demand, which the Green Paper identifies as crucial to assuring a reliable supply. We are also called upon to reduce consumption and spend less, making better use of what we have available. In addition, I should like to thank Mrs Müller for her opinion on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy.
A substantial improvement in the efficiency of end use of electricity is required if we are to meet the European Union’s commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by the year 2010. Office technology equipment represents a significant percentage of energy consumption in the service sector and offers wide scope for energy saving. The Commission has therefore put forward the Energy Star Programme as a key measure to reduce the consumption of energy by office technology equipment. It completes the measures adopted by other end use sectors such as domestic electrical appliances and lighting.
Since 1994 the Commission has been working on the introduction of this programme with the full support of Community industry and independent experts. The Energy Star Programme is voluntary and makes use of a marketing device: a quality label enabling buyers to identify products which consume energy most efficiently.
Furthermore, thanks to the adoption of the programme the Community will be doing more than introducing a programme for labelling office equipment – which has proved very successful where it has been implemented – and putting in place a viable measure to reduce CO2 emissions. We shall be able to seize the opportunity of applying a standard which is in practice acquiring international significance. What we are engaged in is important not only for us but because of its impact in other parts of the world. In this context, I believe it is essential for us to become joint leaders at international level together with the United States.
Mr President, I am aware that Parliament was not very happy with the procedures followed in connection with the conclusion and signature of this agreement. However, we were bound by the procedures laid down in Article 300 of the Treaty, and I am delighted to note that Parliament feels that the advantages of the agreement outweigh such differences of opinion. Furthermore, at Parliament’s request, in a letter annexed to the agreement, we have informed the other party, namely the United States. We shall ensure that Parliament is kept informed of the review of the technical specifications, a point raised by Mrs McNally and with which we totally agree.
As regards the amendments, I am in a position to say that we can accept all the amendments tabled by Parliament, with the exception of Amendment No 9. The Commission agrees that the energy efficiency of office equipment must be monitored, but it does not feel that we should call for a special unit to be set up, as stated in the aforementioned amendment, if only because the necessary resources will not be forthcoming. I therefore ask you to reconsider the matter, ladies and gentlemen. If this amendment were omitted, I think we could adopt the proposal at first reading and make faster progress. The final decision rests with Parliament of course. Please take this into account. I can assure you that no further resources will be made available, so in the end it will not serve any useful purpose.
On the other hand, we do in principle accept Amendments Nos 5, 11, and 15. Concerning Amendments Nos 11 and 15, we accept that the Commission should present a report to the Council and to Parliament. However, the Commission feels that the best time to do so would be after three years had elapsed, as was the case for the first assessment of the Energy Star Programme
That concludes my summary of our position. Once again, I should like to express my thanks to the honourable Members who have taken the floor, and especially to Mrs McNally for her splendid work. I trust we shall all reach agreement at the earliest opportunity, if possible at first reading."@en1
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