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**\*\*\* Press release \*\*\***

**Major step forward to get the EU Energy Star® program of the ground.**

Brussels, 30 April 2004 -- EICTA congratulates the European Commission
for the launch of the new EU Energy Star® website
[http://www.eu-energystar.org](http://www.eu-energystar.org/).,  on
Wednesday, April 21, 2004.

The EU Energy Star® program aims to improve the energy efficiency of
information technology equipment. Products such as PC, Monitors,
laptops, printers, copiers and other office equipment, which qualify for
the program and fulfil certain energy efficiency requirements, are
awarded with the EU Energy Star® label.

EICTA welcomes this further step in raising the profile of the EU Energy
Star® program with the public and potential customers of EICTA members.
According to the EICTA Director General Mark MacGann, "this website is a
useful tool for consumers to visualise the enormous efforts undertaken
by the IT manufacturers to increase the energy efficiency of their
products. The EU Energy Star® program, a key European initiative,
demonstrates that technology manufacturers make a major contribution to
environmental protection."

The program, initiated by the Unites States environmental protection
agency (US EPA) has now matured into a world-wide energy efficiency
program, run in partnership by the US EPA, the European Union, Japan,
Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and Canada, to promote energy-efficient
office equipment on a world-wide market.

Energy Star has been proven to be successful in reducing energy
consumption of Office equipment. The recently launched web site gives
potential buyers the opportunity to select from the awarded products
listed on this web site together with performance parameters, the
product of choice, considering energy efficiency as one of the
qualifiers for an informed buying decision. Information is provided in
the 11 official European languages and includes information on the
program, award criteria and support for the EU climate change program.

EICTA has supported this program and the European partnership from the
very beginning and encourages all members companies, supplying products
within the scope of EU Energy Star® program to participate.

EICTA invites potential consumers as well as the interested public to
visit the web site and support the program as a contribution to reach
the objectives of the European Unions Climate change program.

The Web site can be found at
[http://www.eu-energystar.org]{.underline}. 

**For further information, please contact:**

Leo Baumann on +32 2 706 8470 or +32 2 706 84 77

<leo.baumann@eicta.org>

**Notes to Editors:**

EICTA, founded in 1999 represents the Information and Communications
Technology and Consumer Electronics Industry in Europe. It is composed
of 47 major multinational companies and 31 national associations from 21
European countries. In all, EICTA represents more than 10,000 companies
all over Europe with more than 2 million employees and EUR 200 billion
in revenues.

[The membership of EICTA:]{.underline}

Direct Company Members:

**Accenture, Agilent, Alcatel, Apple, Bang&Olufsen, Blaupunkt, Bull,
Canon, Cisco, Corning, Dell, EADS, Epson, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Hitachi,
HP, IBM, Infineon, Intel, JVC, Kenwood, Lexmark, LG Electronics, Loewe
Opta, Lucent, Marconi, Matsushita, Microsoft, Motorola, NEC, Nokia,
Nortel, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sanyo, SAP, Sharp, Siemens, Sony, Sun
Microsystems, Texas Instruments, Thales, Thomson, Toshiba.**

National Trade Associations:

**Austria:** FEEI; **Belgium:** AGORIA; **Czech Republic:** SPIS;
**Denmark:** ITEK, ITB; **Finland:** SET; **France:** GITEP/SFIB,
SIMAVELEC; **Germany:** BITKOM, ZVEI; **Greece:** SEPE; **Hungary:**
IVSZ; **Italy:** ANIE, ASSINFORM; **Ireland:** ICT Ireland; **Latvia:**
LITTA; **Malta :** ITTS; **Netherlands:** Nederland-ICT; **Norway:**
ABELIA, IKT Norge; **Poland:** KIGEIT, PIIT; **Slovenia:** GZS;
**Spain:** ANIEL, SEDISI; **Sweden:** IT Företagen; **Switzerland:**
SWICO, SWISSMEM; **United Kingdom**: INTELLECT; **Turkey:** ECID, TESID.