Revised community eco-label award scheme (regul. 880/92/EEC)

The Committee notes the difficulties which have emerged over the application of the regulation, but feels that the start-up phase should not be judged too negatively. National systems such as the "Blue Angel" and the "Nordic Swan" initially faced problems, but later became well established. The establishment of a number of national eco-labelling schemes, at about the same time as the EU scheme was launched, also contributed to its modest start. The Committee attaches considerable importance to the success of the EU scheme, since it is the only product- related voluntary policy instrument to pursue the cause of sustainable consumption. The Committee believes that the future of environmental labelling lies with strengthening the EU scheme. To achieve this, an effort should be made to harmonize the criteria of the national eco-label schemes as closely as possible, so that they do not create barriers to trade�