Energy efficiency requirements for household electric refrigerators, freezers and combinations

The Council common position incorporates most of the amendments proposed by Parliament and included by the Commission in its amended proposal, many of which reinforce the initial proposal. For the first phase the common position provides for an overall improvement in energy efficiency of 15% applicable after three years. With regard to the second phase, the text indicates that the Commission will evaluate the results achieved in the first phase and will consider the need for additional measures. Such measures would, in all circumstances, be based on the efficiency levels which would be justified at that time from the economic and technical point of view. They could take the form of an amendment (more rigorous standards) to the proposal, an advance voluntary agreement with the industry, or a framework directive combined with a standardization mandate. It should be noted that the Council has introduced new provisions: - importers may be responsible for the conformity of refrigeration equipment when neither the manufacturer nor the official representative is established in the Community; - correction factors are introduced in the technical annex for 'subtropical' and 'tropical' equipment in order to allow for the higher energy consumption of such equipment under test conditions. �