Brussels, 14/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - During the vote on the report prepared by Dario Tamburrano (ELDD, Italy) on Tuesday 14 June, the European Parliament energy committee added its amendments to the draft regulation introducing a revised framework for labelling energy-efficient products, introduced in 1995 to inform consumers about energy efficiency contained in products.
MEPs support a return over the next five years to the single labelling system from A to G for labelling energy-efficient products and replacing the current classification system established on different scales (A+, A+ plus, A+ + +).
MEPs amended the draft regulation proposed in July 2015 by the Commission (see EUROPE 11360) by proposing rescaled labels for existing product groups introduced over the five years following their entry into force, in order to ensure a homogenous A to G scale.
Any future rescale should aim for a validity period of at least 10 years, say MEPs, opting for the following trigger criteria for future rescales: - when 25% of the products sold within the EU market fall into the top energy efficiency class A; - when 50% of the products sold on the EU market fall into the top two energy efficiency classes A+B.
In any new rescaling or labelling, class A should at first be empty, and in product groups showing rapid technological progress, classes A and B should both be empty at first, say MEPs. When energy classes F and G are not allowed for some product groups, these should be shown on the label in grey, and the standard dark green to red spectrum of the label should be retained for the remaining higher classes, they add.
To ensure clear and legible labels, the label should contain information about the energy efficiency class of the product model, and its absolute consumption in kWh, displayed per year or per any relevant period of time. Suppliers and dealers would have to refer to the energy efficiency class of the product in any visual advertisement or technical promotional material for a specific model of product.
MEPs advocate setting up a product database consisting of a consumer-website, where information is individually accessible, and a compliance interface (an electronic platform supporting the work of national market surveillance authorities, available in all the languages of the countries where the products are placed on the market).
MEPs also inserted exemptions from the new energy efficiency rules, for second-hand products and means of transport whose motor stays in the same location during operation, such as elevators, escalators and conveyor belts.
The Parliament will need to vote in an upcoming plenary session on a mandate for starting the negotiations with the Council of Ministers on the draft text. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)