The EuP Directive proposal: a framework for continuous improvement of the environmental performance of energy-using products

The EU Commission submitted in August 2003[1] a proposal for a framework Directive for setting eco-design requirements for energy-using products, the "EuP" Directive proposal. Legal obligations for manufacturers will flow from the implementing measures, to be adopted separately after the approval of the framework Directive by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers. The proposal establishes criteria for the selection of products, and spells out the environmental aspects that may be addressed as well as the type of eco-design requirements and the methodologies for determining those. This paper discusses the main operational aspects of the proposal and explains how, in a context of increasing market and legal pressures on environmental issues worldwide, a coherent framework for addressing environmental performance of energy-using products enhances the competitiveness of the EU industry and economy as a whole, while contributing to major policy objectives such as environmental protection, security of energy supply and good functioning of the EU internal market.