Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-04-19-Speech-1-135"
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"en.20040419.11.1-135"2
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".
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the draft directive establishing a framework for setting out the environmentally-friendly requirements applicable to energy-using products is somewhat innovative. I should like to thank Mrs Thors and Mr Turmes for their excellent work within their respective committees, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy, and the Committee on Industry External Trade, Research and Energy.
The aim is to find the right balance between two elements. On the one hand, there is competitiveness, environmental protection and consumer protection, within the context of sustainable development. On the other, the various environmental issues related to products. It is important to guard against passing problems from one area to the other. There must be an integrated approach to the issue. All the Community institutions must work together too. That is the way to ensure the co-legislators can agree to mandating the Commission with regard to the adoption of measures to be applied to specific products.
I should like to highlight the main features of this proposal. As its title indicates, the proposal is aimed at improving the environmental behaviour, what could be termed the Eco-design, of energy-using products. The free movement of products meeting the requirements, the protection of the interests of consumers and the competitiveness of our economy are essential, however.
We appreciate that the correct implementation of these proposals could prove extremely beneficial to all parties. There are a number of reasons why this could be the case. Industry will be motivated to improve the environmental characteristics of products with a significant capacity for self-regulation. Thanks to the large market in investment and design improvement, fragmentation of the market will be avoided and investment will pay off. Further, the measures will be aimed at swift compensation for the consumers and will take account of the nature of the market in the enlarged Union.
This is probably the first time that a proposal provides a consistent global legislative framework thus avoiding thematic legislation. The latter can sometimes prove contradictory. Integrated product policy aims to avoid risks of this kind.
Energy consumption is one of the main ways in which products interact with the environment. I am glad this has been emphasised in the discussions in the various committees charged with considering the proposal.
Regarding the institutional dimension of this issue, we propose moving from codecision to comitology to deal with specific products. This is because we feel it is a flexible way of handling technical matters. I have in mind for example rapidly-changing technologies and arrangements for consulting stakeholders. I could also mention the development of self-regulatory alternatives for a range of products that is, in our view, too wide to be dealt with through codecision. It would be too slow and therefore less efficient to attempt to do so.
I shall comment in detail later on the amendments the House is to table. At this point, however, I should like to say how very constructive I feel the debates in the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy and in the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy proved. Particular congratulations are due to Mrs Thors, to Mr Turmes and to all the rapporteurs, for trying to reach agreement at first reading."@en1
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