COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION Ecodesign Working Plan 2016-2019
Date: 2016-11-30
Institutions: Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, European Commission
Subjects: action programme, consumer information, eco-label, energy efficiency, energy saving, labelling, market supervision, marketing standard, reduction of gas emissions

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 30.11.2016  COM(2016) 773 final   COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION Ecodesign Working Plan 2016-2019  
 
 
Ecodesign Working Plan 2016-2019 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The  EU  has  a  number  of  legislative  instruments  which  translate the  EU  energy  and  climate 
policy  goals1  into  various  strands  of  action.  Ecodesign,  complemented  by  energy  labelling 
rules, supports the Commission's overarching priority to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness 
and  boost  job  creation  and  economic  growth;  it  ensures  a  level  playing  field  in  the  internal 
market,  drives  investment  and  innovation  in  a  sustainable  manner,  and  saves  money  for 
consumers while reducing CO2 emissions. It contributes to the Energy Union and 2030 energy 
efficiency  target,  the  commonly-agreed  climate  goals  and  to  the  objective  of  a  Deeper  and 
Fairer  Internal  Market.  The  Ecodesign  and  energy  labelling  framework  has  been  one  of  the 
most  effective  policy  instruments  at  EU  level  to  promote  energy  efficiency,  estimated  to 
contribute  around  half  of  the  energy  savings  target  for  2020.  The  Ecodesign  and  Energy 
Labelling legislative framework has the dual purpose of ensuring that more energy-efficient 
products  come  to  the  market  (through  ecodesign)  while  encouraging  and  empowering 
consumers  to  buy  the  most  efficient  products  based  on  useful  information  (through  energy 
labelling). By doing so, it reduces the energy consumption of consumers and businesses, and 
thereby  their  energy  and  utilities  bills.  Furthermore,  it  safeguards  the  internal  market  and 
prevents  unnecessary  costs  for  business  and  consumers  due  to  divergent  national 
requirements.  

By 2020 this framework is estimated to deliver energy savings of around 175 Mtoe per year in 
primary energy, more than the annual primary energy consumption of Italy. For consumers, 
this translates into €490 savings per household per year on energy bills. Moreover, this policy 
is  estimated  to  deliver  approximately  €55  billion  per  year  extra  revenue  for  industry, 
wholesale and retail sectors, part of which could translate into up to 800 000 direct additional 
jobs in the sectors concerned. As such, it also contributes to energy security by reducing the 
import of energy into the EU by the equivalent of 1.3 billion barrels of oil each year and by 
reducing CO2 emissions by 320 million tonnes annually2.  
The  moderation  of  energy  demand  is  one  of  the  5  dimensions  of  the  Energy  Union 
Framework Strategy3. An ambitious and efficient ecodesign and energy labelling policy will 
remain indispensable to help achieve the priorities the Commission has set out for the Energy 
Union and it will help reach the climate policy goals agreed at COP21 in Paris in December 
2015.  

This Ecodesign Working Plan contributes to the Commission's new initiative on the Circular 
Economy4, which promotes a transition towards a more circular economy in the EU through a 
series  of  measures  covering  the  whole  lifecycle  of  products  and  materials.  There  is  an 
increasing  need,  and  political  priority,  to  improve  resource  efficiency  in  the  EU.  Product 
design is a key aspect in this respect, as it can have significant impacts across the product life 
cycle e.g. in making a product more durable, easier to repair, reuse or recycle. The Ecodesign 
directive already covers all significant environmental impacts along the life-cycle of products 

1 2020 Climate and Energy Strategy: COM(2010) 639 final; 2030 Climate and Energy Strategy: COM(2014) 15 
final  
2 Ecodesign Impact Accounting Study, VHK, 2014 
3 COM(2015) 80 final 
4 EU Action Plan on a Circular Economy COM (2015) 614/2 adopted on 2.12.2015 

2 

 
 
 
                                                            
but the focus so far has been on energy efficiency improvements. In future, Ecodesign should 
make  a  much  more  significant  contribution  to  the  circular  economy,  for  example  by  more 
systematically tackling material efficiency issues such as durability and recyclability.  

This  Working  Plan  sets  out  the  Commission's  working  priorities  under  the  ecodesign  and 
energy labelling framework for 2016-2019. Building on work undertaken on the basis of the 
first two Working Plans, the new Working Plan presents ongoing work and upcoming reviews 
of  existing  product-specific  measures;  it  identifies  additional  product  groups  to  be  further 
examined  (through  studies,  stakeholder  consultation  and  impact  assessment)  with  a  view  to 
inform  possible  Commission  proposals  for  ecodesign  and/or  energy  labelling  requirements; 
and  it  sets  out  how  ecodesign  will  contribute  better  to  circular  economy  objectives.  Taken 
together,  fresh  measures  from  new  products  in  this  Ecodesign  Working  Plan,  in  addition  to 
reviews of existing measures, have an estimated potential to deliver a total in excess of 600 
TWh  (or  50  Mtoe)  of  annual  primary  energy  savings  in  2030.  This  is  comparable  to  the 
annual  primary  energy  consumption  of  Sweden,  and  is  also  equivalent  to  reducing  CO2 
emissions by approximately 100 million tonnes per year in 2030.  

2. 

THE ROLE OF THE ECODESIGN WORKING PLAN 

Both the Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Directive are framework directives. They lay down 
the  conditions  and  criteria  for  adopting  implementing  measures  which  set  out  binding 
requirements specific to each product group5. Priorities for product groups to be investigated 
under  this  framework  are  established  through  regular  Working  Plans  as  foreseen  in  Article 
16(1)  of  the  Ecodesign  Directive,  which  specifies  that  the  Commission  shall  publish  "a 
working  plan  setting  out,  for  the  three  following  years,  an  indicative  list  of  energy-related 
product groups which will be considered priorities for the undertaking of preparatory studies 
and eventual adoption of implementing measures". 

This new Working Plan builds on the work that has been done since mid-2005 for the product 
groups listed in Article 16(2) of the 2005 Ecodesign Directive6 (transitional period) and on the 
first two Working Plans for the periods 2009-20117 and 2012-20148. 

3. 

STATE OF PLAY 

3.1. 

Implementing measures adopted 

As  a  result  of  the  referred  prioritisation  of  work,  the  Commission  launched  preparatory 
studies,  which  have  resulted  in  the  adoption  of  28  Ecodesign  Regulations,  16  Energy 
Labelling Delegated Regulations and 3 recognised Voluntary Agreements. 

Furthermore, around 40 standardisation mandates were launched for these product groups. A 
list  of  existing  harmonised  standards  supporting  Ecodesign  Regulations  is  available  at  the 
Europa website9. 

an 

For 

existing 

overview 

5 
of 
https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/list_of_enegy_labelling_measures.pdf  
https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/list_of_ecodesign_measures.pdf 
6 OJ L 191, 22.7.2005, p. 29–58 
7  Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament  -  Establishment  of  the 
working plan for 2009-2011 under the Ecodesign Directive (COM/2008/0660 final) 
8 
swd-2012-434-ecodesign_en.pdf  

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sustainable-business/documents/eco-design/working-plan/files/comm-

implementing 

measures, 

see: 

3 

 
 
                                                            
3.2 

Ongoing work 

Work  on  a  number  of  the  identified  priority  product  groups  is  still  ongoing  at  the  time  of 
adoption  of  this  Working  Plan  and  is  in  different  stages  of  development.  The  table  below 
presents  an  overview  of  the  ongoing  work,  as  well  as  the  anticipated  savings,  where 
available.10 

Together with this working plan, the Commission is adopting the following measures with an 
estimated energy saving potential of over 100 TWh per year of primary energy saved in 2030: 

  An ecodesign measure for air heating and cooling products11  
  An  ecodesign12  and  an  energy  labelling13  measure  on  verification  tolerances  to 

improve product testing and reduce the scope for cheating 

  A Recommendation for self-regulation14 providing guidance to support industry in the 

pursuit of voluntary agreements as an alternative to regulation. 

Further work is under way, as presented in the table below: 

Measure 

Status   

Anticipated 
Primary Energy 
savings in 203015  
(where availaible; 
in TWh per year) 

Commercial refrigeration 

Consultation forum took place on 2.7.2014 

Impact assessment finalised 

Compressors 

Consultation forum took place on 29.09.14 

Impact assessment ongoing 

Windows 

Consultation forum took place on 30.09.15 

48  

5  

40  

Impact assessment ongoing 

(only energy labelling 
requirements) 

9 http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/mandates/  
10 In line with existing impact assessment practice for Ecodesign product groups, an overall EU-wide electricity 
power plant generation conversion efficiency level of 40% is assumed (i.e., 2.5 Mtoe of Primary Energy input 
fuel [gas, oil, coal, etc] is needed for  every 1 Mtoe of electricity generated, and for which the end-consumer will 
be billed). 
11 Commission Regulation implementing Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council 
establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy-related products, with regard to 
ecodesign requirements for air heating products, cooling products, high temperature process chillers and fan coil 
units. [C(2016) 7769 final] 
12 Commission Regulation amending Regulations (EC) No 1275/2008, (EC) No 107/2009, (EC) No 278/2009, 
(EC) No 640/2009, (EC) No 641/2009, (EC) No 642/2009, (EC) No 643/2009, (EU) No 1015/2010, (EU) No 
1016/2010, (EU) No 327/2011, (EU) No 206/2012, (EU) No 547/2012, (EU) No 932/2012, (EU) No 617/2013, 
(EU) No 666/2013, (EU) No 813/2013, (EU) No 814/2013, (EU) No 66/2014, (EU) No 548/2014, (EU) No 
1253/2014, (EU) 2015/1095, (EU) 2015/1185, (EU) 2015/1188, (EU) 2015/1189 and (EU) 2016/XXX [C(2016) 
7769 final] with regard to the use of tolerances in verification procedures. [C(2016)7767final] 
13 Commission Delegated Regulation amending Delegated Regulations (EU) No 1059/2010, (EU) No 
1060/2010, (EU) No 1061/2010, (EU) No 1062/2010, (EU) No 626/2011, (EU) No 392/2012, (EU) No 
874/2012, (EU) No 665/2013, (EU) No 811/2013, (EU) No 812/2013, (EU) No 65/2014, (EU) No 1254/2014, 
(EU) 2015/1094, (EU) 2015/1186 and (EU) 2015/1187 with regard to the use of tolerances in verification 
procedures. [C(2016)7765 final] 
14 Commission Recommendation on guidelines for self-regulation measures concluded by industry under 
Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. [C(2016)7770 final] 
15 Except for Water-related products, for which both 2025 and 2030 saving figures are included. 

4 

 
 
 
                                                                                                                                                                                          
Machine tools and welding 
equipment 

Professional washing machines, 
dryers and dishwashers 

Enterprise servers, data storage 
and ancillary equipment 

Consultation forum took place on 6.05.14 

9 

Impact assessment ongoing  

(VA on metal 
working machine 
tools; regulation on 
welding equipment) 

Consultation forum took place on 29.11.13 

4 

Standardisation work ongoing.  

Preparatory study finished in 08.15  

Up to 43 for full 
product requirements 

Important resource-
saving potential 

Up to 70 (and 1900 
Mm3 of abstracted 
water) in 2025; up to 
17 (and 700 Mm3 of 
abstracted water) in 
2030 

(only energy labelling 
requirements) 

Water-related products 

Preparatory study finished in 12.14 (not yet 
published) 

Smart appliances 

Preparatory study ongoing 

Lighting controls/systems 

Preparatory study ongoing 

Industrial and laboratory 
furnaces and ovens 

Consultation  forum  took  place  on  16.05.14. 
ED/EL Regulations will not be proposed for the 
time being (*) 

Power Cables 

Steam boilers 

ED/EL Regulations will not be proposed for the 
time being (*) 

ED/EL Regulations will not be proposed for the 
time being (*) 

(*) The outcome of the preparatory studies suggested that Ecodesign (ED) and Energy Labelling (EL) were not 
the most appropriate regulatory options to address energy efficiency for these products, and that other regulatory 
instruments were already capturing at least part of the existing energy saving potential. 

3.3. 

Reviews 

Most  Ecodesign  and  Energy  Labelling  implementing  measures  adopted  so  far  have  review 
clauses  which  are  due  in  the  coming  years.  The  following  table  presents  a  consolidated 
overview  of  the  Regulations  which  are  due  for  review  up  to  and  including  2019,  with  an 
indication of the potential energy saving and the significance of the resource saving potential, 
where available. 

During  these  reviews  the  Commission  will  examine  how  aspects  relevant  to  the  circular 
economy,  such  as  resource  efficiency,  reparability,  recyclability  and  durability  can  be 
assessed and taken on board when revising the existing measures. 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anticipated 
Primary Energy 
savings in 2030  
(where available; 
in TWh per year) 

took  place  on 

83  

Measure 

Status 

Televisions (review) and electronic 
displays 

Consultation  forum 
10.12.14 

External power supplies 

Inter-Service Consultation closed. 

WTO notification ongoing 

Consultation forum took place on 
29.04.15. Intention is to align with 
new US rules. 

Electric motors 

Review study finalised in July 2014 

Fans 

Lighting products 

Impact assessment ongoing 

Review study finalised in March 2015 

Impact assessment ongoing 

Review study finalised in December 
2015 

Impact assessment ongoing 

Domestic refrigerators and freezers 

Review ongoing 

Dishwashers and washing machines 
including combined washer-driers 

Reviews ongoing 

Standby and off mode electric power 
consumption of electrical and electronic 
household and office equipment 

Review ongoing 

Water pumps 

Review ongoing 

Water heaters and hot water storage 
tanks 

Review by September 2016 of certain 
requirements. 

Vacuum cleaners 

Review by September 2016 of specific 
durability requirements 

Computers and computer servers 

Review ongoing 

Circulators 

Review ongoing 

Air conditioners and comfort fans 

Review by April 2017 

Transformers 

Tumble driers 

Review by June  2017 

Review by May/November 2017 

Vacuum cleaners 

Review by August 2018 

6 

Important resource-
saving potential 

6 

75 

25 

125 

13 

Important resource-
saving potential 

11 

Important resource-
saving potential 

Important resource-
saving potential 

Important resource-
saving potential 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Solid fuel boilers 

Solid fuel local space heaters 

Review by August 2018 of specific 
requirement for third party 
certification 

Review by August 2018 of specific 
requirement for third party 
certification 

Space and water heaters 

Review by September 2018 

Local space heaters 

Ventilation units 

Review by January 2019 

Review by December 2019 

4. 

INDICATIVE LIST OF NEW PRODUCT GROUPS FOR THE WORKING PLAN 2016-2019 

In preparation for this Working Plan, the Commission launched a study to identify any further 
energy-related product groups that had significant savings potential and had not been included 
in  the  transitional  period  or  in  the  previous  working  plans.  This  draft  Working  Plan  was 
subsequently revisited in the light of the Circular Economy Action Plan. 

The  study  made  a  quantitative  estimation  of  the  energy  saving  potential  resulting  from 
improvements  in  the  overall  energy  efficiency  for  each  product  group.  Additionally,  from  a 
circular  economy  perspective,  a  qualitative  assessment  of  other  environmental  impacts16 
mentioned  in  the  Ecodesign  Directive  was  made,  as  well  as  an  assessment  of  the  existing 
regulatory coverage of these environmental impacts. The final reports for the different tasks in 
the study are available on a dedicated website17. 

The  Commission  consulted  the  Consultation  Forum,  as  required  by  Article  18  of  the 
Ecodesign Directive, to take into account comments from the Member States’ representatives 
and  stakeholders  when  establishing  this  working  plan  and  the  indicative  list  of  product 
groups18. 

The energy saving potential of the remaining energy-related products identified by the study 
is for some products is lower than for those identified in previous working plans. Therefore, 
in  parallel  with  the  review  of  existing  Regulations,  the  Commission  will  be  launching 
dedicated  studies  for  those  products  from  the  above-mentioned  study  that  have  the  largest 
savings potentials: 

  Building Automation and Control Systems 
  Electric kettles  
  Hand dryers 
  Lifts 
  Solar panels and inverters 
  Refrigerated containers 
  High-pressure cleaners19 

16   Including water consumption in use phase; consumables (e.g. detergents); presence of critical raw materials, 
flame  retardants,  plasticizers  (phthalates),  or  other  toxic  substances;  presence  of  F-gases;  radiation;  safety 
(fuel  leakage,  vibrations,  etc.);  health  (hygiene,  noise  levels,  etc.);  durability  (reusability,  upgradability, 
reparability, etc.); end-of-life (recyclability, recycled content); and direct emissions to air, water, and soil. 

17    See: http://www.ecodesign-wp3.eu/documents  
18    Ecodesign Consultation Forum held on 28.10.2015 
19    It is envisaged that solely energy labelling may be retained from the available policy options, as the energy 

saving potential does not seem to justify an ecodesign option. 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
 
The above identified product groups will be subject to preparatory studies that investigate in 
more  detail  the  potential  for  environmental  improvement,  including  aspects  relevant  to  the 
circular economy as laid out in chapter 5, and provide the elements for the identification of 
policy options in the subsequent impact assessments.  

In  the  preparation  of  possible  implementing  measures  laying  down  ecodesign  or  energy 
labelling  requirements  for  the  energy-related  products  mentioned  above,  the  Commission  is 
bound by the criteria laid out in Article 15.5 of the Directive. Furthermore, care will be taken 
to  avoid  any  possible  overlap  with  existing  EU  Regulations  already  applying  to  these 
products.  In  particular,  no  Ecodesign  measure  will  be  proposed  for  Building  Automated 
Control Systems, if it is considered that the energy saving potential in buildings can be better 
captured  via  changes  in  the  Energy  Performance  of  Buildings  Directive  and/or  the  Energy 
Efficiency Directive. In order to avoid unnecessary regulation, no Ecodesign measure will be 
proposed if the major part of the energy savings potential in lifts is already captured through 
other Ecodesign regulations on their components, such as the regulation on electric motors.  

Given  their  specificity,  a  separate  track  is  proposed  for  ICT  products  (not  included  in  the 
product groups above), that will also fully take into account their circular economy potential, 
which is particularly relevant in the case of mobile/smart phones.  

For  ICT  products  it  has  proven  very  difficult  to  make  a  reliable  estimate  of  their  energy 
savings potential, given the uncertainty about future market developments. Moreover, for the 
fast  moving  ICT  product  sectors,  questions  have  arisen  as  to  the  suitability  of  the 
ecodesign/energy labelling process (which takes on average around 4 years) for establishing 
minimum energy and resource efficiency criteria. At the same time, the voluntary agreements 
that have been recognised for some electronic product groups (i.e. imaging equipment, game 
consoles and complex set-top boxes) as alternatives to regulatory measures, have not always 
proven  to  be  faster  in  achieving  the  objectives  of  ecodesign.  Also,  the  EU-US  Energy  Star 
Agreement, under which both jurisdictions set the same voluntary efficiency requirements for 
office equipment, will have to be reviewed prior to its expiry in 2018. Finally, the increased 
connectivity  of  products  –  whether  in  the  home  or  in  industry  –  and  the  advent  of  smart 
appliances as well as their impact on overall system efficiency, requires careful consideration.  

In view of this, the Commission will launch a more in-depth assessment of the following ICT 
products with a view to their possible inclusion in the ecodesign working plan: 

  gateways (home network equipment) 
  mobile/smart phones 
  base stations  

This  will  allow  determining  the  best  policy  approach  for  improving  their  energy  efficiency 
and wider circular economy aspects. Signage displays and wireless chargers will be taken up 
in  the  ongoing  work  on  the  revision  of  the  existing  implementing  ecodesign  measures  for 
televisions and external power supplies respectively. 

5. 

CONTRIBUTION TO THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY 

The possibility to repair, remanufacture or recycle a product and its components and materials 
depends  in  large  part  on  the  initial  design  of  the  product.  It  is  therefore  crucial  that  these 
aspects are taken into account when investigating possible Ecodesign implementing measures. 
The focus has so far has been on improving the energy efficiency of products even if resource 
efficiency provisions have been part of the Directive since its original adoption in 2005, and 
were  introduced  for  some  product  groups  with  criteria  concerning  e.g.  water  use  and 
durability.  

8 

 
 
 
With this new working plan, the Commission will explore the possibility of establishing more 
product-specific and/or horizontal requirements in areas such as durability (e.g. minimum life-
time  of  products  or  critical  components),  reparability  (e.g.  availability  of  spare  parts  and 
repair manuals, design for repair), upgradeability, design for disassembly (e.g. easy removal 
of  certain  components),  information  (e.g.  marking  of  plastic  parts)  and  ease  of  reuse  and 
recycling  (e.g.  avoiding  incompatible  plastics),  greenhouse  gas  and  other  emissions,  and  to 
further  establish  the  scientific  basis  for  developing  corresponding  criteria  that  meet  the 
requirements of the Ecodesign Directive. This will be undertaken both for new product groups 
identified in chapter 4 as well as for upcoming reviews of existing product-specific measures 
listed  in  chapter  3  taking  into  consideration  the  estimated  benefits  and  costs  of  proposed 
measures  as  well  as  Annex  II  of  the  Directive,  according  to  which  the  requirements  to 
improve  the  environmental  performance  of  products  need  to  avoid  significant  losses  of 
performance  or  usefulness  for  consumers.  Furthermore,  any  requirement  needs  to  be 
verifiable and enforceable. 

In  particular, the margin for improvement in  developing  material efficiency requirements in 
product  Regulations  should  be  investigated  in  a more  systematic  way.  For  this  purpose,  the 
Commission  will  develop  a  circular  economy  ‘toolbox’  for  ecodesign,  for  example  in  the 
form  of  guidance  for  inclusion  of  resource  and  material  efficiency  aspects  for  new  product 
groups and for the revision of existing implementing measures. Based on an in-depth analysis, 
such a toolbox would provide concrete examples of how these aspects could be taken up in 
product-specific or horizontal requirements.  

The Commission will also improve the methodological basis for a more systematic adoption 
of  requirements  related to  material  efficiency  in  product  Regulations, both  new  and  due  for 
review. To this  end a  standardisation request to the European Standardisation Organisations 
on material efficiency aspects has been adopted20. The scope of this request covers, primarily, 
the following aspects: 

  Extending product lifetime 
  Ability to re-use components or recycle materials from products at end-of-life 
  Use of re-used components and/or recycled materials in products 

The standards to be prepared in accordance with the referred standardisation request will be 
general  in  nature  and  will  help  in  the  development  of  product-specific  and/or  horizontal 
standards, which would support eventual requirements related to material efficiency aspects, 
such as reparability or recyclability. 

The  ongoing  work  on  the  Product  Environmental  Footprint  will  also  contribute  to  this 
objective. 

6. 

MARKET SURVEILLANCE AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION 

It  is  estimated  that  10%-25%  of  products  on  the  market  do  not  comply  with  ecodesign  and 
energy labelling requirements. As a result, around 10% of envisaged energy savings are being 
lost.  In  absolute  terms,  this  corresponds  to  about  17  Mtoe  of  primary  energy  per  year.  It  is 
also  misleading  for  consumers,  who  may  face  higher  energy  bills.  Member  States  are 
responsible  for  market  surveillance  and,  while  there  have  been  significant  improvements  in 
enforcement activities of the last years, more needs to be done to reduce the number of non-
compliant products on the EU market.  

20 Commission Decision C(2015) 9096 adopted on 17.12.2015. 

9 

 
 
                                                            
To  improve  enforcement,  the  Commission  already  facilitates  cooperation  between  national 
market surveillance authorities through the Administrative Cooperation ('ADCO')  groups on 
ecodesign  and  on  energy  labelling.  Moreover,  the  Commission  supports  dedicated  joint 
surveillance projects, such as the EU funded project 'EEpliant', and will continue to do so in 
future. The Commission Regulations on verifications tolerances, mentioned under point 3.2, 
as well as the Commission's proposal for a Regulation on energy labelling, currently subject 
to inter-institutional negotiations,21 will also improve enforcement.   

The  European  Union  is  one  of  the  world  leaders  in  the  development  of  minimum  energy 
efficiency  requirements  and  energy  labelling  for  products.  Many  other  countries  follow 
similar approaches and our regulations and the A-G label layout are influential internationally. 
Moreover, the EU plays an important role in international standardisation.  These  efforts  are 
important  for  European  businesses,  as  they  support  a  more  uniform  global  playing  field, 
reduce compliance costs and create opportunities abroad. 

Therefore, the Commission will continue to engage with other jurisdictions to strive for more 
global  convergence  in  standards,  test  methods  and,  if  possible,  minimum  requirements,  for 
example  through  international  standardisation,  product-specific  agreements,  or  as  part  of 
bilateral trade deals. 

7. 

OUTLOOK 

The Commission plans to work on the following priorities in the coming years: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

Finalise ongoing regulatory work on products identified in previous working plans 

Undertake the review of existing measures identified in chapter 3 

Start preparatory studies for the product groups identified in chapter 4 

Strengthen the contribution of the Ecodesign Directive to a more circular economy  

Facilitate  enhanced  cooperation  between  Member  States  on  market  surveillance  to 
achieve a better enforcement of existing Regulations 

Strengthen cooperation with international partners to facilitate further convergence of 
test  and  measurement  methods,  and,  if  possible,  minimum  energy  performance 
requirements. 

21 COM(2015) 341 final 

10