Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-05-05-Speech-2-061"
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"en.20090505.4.2-061"2
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"Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I should like first of all to welcome the European Commission’s proposal to recast the directive on energy labelling with the basic objective of extending its scope to all appliances which consume electricity during domestic, commercial and industrial use and to energy-related products. This directive forms part of a broader package of legislative proposals which aim to promote energy efficiency, which is a matter of top priority for the Union, because it can play a decisive role in strengthening energy security, reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and reviving the European economy, so that it will be able to get out of the recession and the crisis more quickly.
I want to warmly thank all my fellow Members for their proposals, especially the shadow rapporteurs, the PSE secretariat and the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy because, with their help, we have managed – I believe – to strengthen the directive on energy labelling. That is why we attach particular importance to the provisions relating to public procurement, that is why we attach particular importance to the adoption of incentives to promote the most efficient appliances and that is why we want to strengthen the provisions relating to market control and supervision.
I shall comment on just two issues which have caused serious confrontation. The first relates to our proposal that advertisements should include a reference to energy consumption, which caused disproportionate reactions from the Federation of European Publishers and from radio and television station owners. I say disproportionate, because extreme arguments were heard, such as that it restricts the freedom of the press, that advertising revenue was falling in the sensitive area of the mass media and, finally, that financing of a free and independent press is being undermined. Let us look at the facts of the matter, at what we are proposing in our report. We consider that advertisements for energy-related products should include a reference to energy consumption or to energy savings or to the category of energy label only if the advertisement includes references to technical specifications or technical information. Where the advertisement does not include any such reference, there is no obligation to refer to energy consumption.
I have left until last the question of the layout of the energy label, which proved to be the most burning issue in this directive. This directive will not have achieved its objective and will not be effective if the energy label cannot be easily recognised and compared by the consumers at whom it is primarily directed, in order to help them make the best possible choices. Today we have a successful energy labelling model on a scale from A to G, where Α is used for the most efficient products and G for the least efficient, a scale which is used today as a standard in many countries outside the European Union. It is undoubtedly very successful and recognisable and has made a huge contribution towards energy savings. It certainly also has numerous problems. The most serious of these problems, the basic reason for these problems, is that the label is not accompanied by an indication of its period of validity. Where there is no indication of the period of validity of the label, when a product is classified in category Α and stays in that category for life, even when more energy efficient products have been launched, it is clear that we are sending out mixed messages. So how can we address this? By introducing an obligation for labels to have a specific period of validity, for example 3 to 5 years and, once this period has expired, for the energy efficiency scale to be revised on the basis of progress achieved in the specific category of product.
To close, I should like to say that I am firmly convinced that, in the debates to follow and in order to reach agreement at second reading, we shall find the best possible solution, a solution which will be recognised by consumers and will promote innovation in European industry."@en1
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