De Europese Commissie zet eerste stappen tegen Polen voor falen van implementatie Richtlijn Ecodesign (en)

The Commission sent a Reasoned Opinion to Poland for failure to communicate its transposition of the Ecodesign Directive. This is the last step of an infringement procedure, before referring the Member State to court. The directive, which aims to lower the environmental impact of energy-using products, is one of the pillars of the EU's strategy on energy efficiency.

Despite a letter of formal notice sent in September 2007, Poland has not yet informed the Commission of the full transposition of the Directive. Member States were required to transpose it into national law by August 2007.

The Directive^[1]establishes a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy-using products. It is estimated that a comprehensive set of such requirements would allow European consumers to save several billion Euros each year in reduced energy bills and could significantly contribute to the EU's goals on climate change and sustainable energy use.

The Commission is in the process of establishing ecodesign requirements for products with the highest potential for energy reduction, such as boilers and digital and lighting equipment. The requirements for the first product groups will enter into force early next year - it is therefore essential that the necessary legal provisions are transposed into national law on time.