Energy efficiency: requirements for ballasts for fluorescent lighting

The aim of the amended proposal is to correct and clarify the original proposal, without modifying its general structure and objectives. Of the 19 amendments adopted by the European Parliament, 15 have been accepted by the Commission and 1 more has been accepted in principle but with some rephrasing. The Commission has accepted that a certain strengthening of the proposal is needed if any substantial contribution to CO2 emission reduction is to be achieved, and therefore has accepted the first part of the Parliament's amendment 1 to clearly indicate that the Directive should have the goal of transforming the ballast market towards electronic ballasts. The Commission shares the Parliament's view that a dynamic approach is needed and especially a third set of efficiency requirements to enter into force later on. However, the Commission considers that it would be difficult to introduce in the proposal a fixed third level of efficiency requirements as proposed by the European Parliament. Accordingly, the Commission proposes to evaluate the technical and economical situation following the entry into force of the second level and, in consultation with interested parties, determine the optimum technical/economical levels of efficiency requirements and the best measures to achieve them, which would consist in either a voluntary agreement by manufacturers, or in a new proposal to set new requirements associated with the mandate to the normalisation bodies or a modification of the present proposal. Therefore, the Commission has not accepted amendments 17, 19 and 20. The Commission shares the Parliament's desire to have an effective enforcement of the Directive, and therefore it accepts the Parliament's 12. All technical amendments dealing with the introduction of the definition of ballasts "as single components or incorporated into luminaires" have been accepted by the Commission as they tend to specify the scope of the proposal. Finally, amendments 15 and 16 extending the transition period for the first phase is also acceptable.�