Commission Decision (EU) 2024/3179 of 19 December 2024 amending Decisions (EU) 2017/175, (EU) 2018/1702 and (EU) 2019/70, as regards the period of validity of the EU Ecolabel criteria and of the related assessment and verification requirements (notified under document C(2024) 8921)
Date: 2024-12-19
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Subjects: European standard, camping, consumer information, eco-label, environmental impact, environmental standard, hotel industry, lubricants, paper




L_202403179EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
L series













2024/3179


20.12.2024







            COMMISSION DECISION (EU) 2024/3179
of 19 December 2024
         
amending Decisions (EU) 2017/175, (EU) 2018/1702 and (EU) 2019/70, as regards the period of validity of the EU Ecolabel criteria and of the related assessment and verification requirements


(notified under document C(2024) 8921)


(Text with EEA relevance)


THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,


Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the EU Ecolabel (1), and in particular Article 8(2) thereof,


After consulting the European Union Ecolabelling Board,

Whereas:







(1)


Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 provides that the EU Ecolabel may be awarded to products with a reduced environmental impact during their entire life cycle. Specific EU Ecolabel criteria are to be established for each product group.












(2)


By Commission Decision (EU) 2017/175 (2), EU Ecolabel criteria were established for the product group ‘tourist accommodation’. The validity of those criteria and of the related assessment and verification requirements is to expire on 30 June 2025.












(3)


By Commission Decision (EU) 2018/1702 (3), EU Ecolabel criteria were established for the product group ‘lubricants’. The validity of those criteria and of the related assessment and verification requirements is to expire on 31 December 2024.












(4)


By Commission Decision (EU) 2019/70 (4), EU Ecolabel criteria were established for the product groups ‘graphic paper’ and ‘tissue paper and tissue products’. The validity of those criteria and of the related assessment and verification requirements is to expire on 31 December 2024.












(5)


In line with the findings from the EU Ecolabel Fitness check (REFIT) of June 30, 2017 (5), the Commission, together with the EU Ecolabelling Board, assessed and confirmed the relevance of the EU Ecolabel criteria for the above-mentioned product groups for the EU Ecolabel scheme, implementing solutions to enhance synergies among product groups and to increase the uptake of the EU Ecolabel.












(6)


The above-mentioned considerations revealed that, for the lubricants, graphic paper, tissue paper and tissue products product groups, the criteria were considered still up to date and likely to remain so in the near future. Consequently, revisions for the above mentioned criteria should be deferred, enabling integration of evolving sectoral legislation and ensuring alignment and coherence with other ongoing EU product policies. For the tourist accommodation product group, a revision will be needed in order to update the criteria and to ensure coherence with the upcoming EU initiatives on sustainable tourism. Until then, the criteria should remain valid.












(7)


To facilitate the Commission’s coordination of the revision process alongside upcoming legislative initiatives, and to consolidate efforts wherever feasible, it is advisable to extend the validity of the EU Ecolabel criteria outlined in Decisions (EU) 2017/175, (EU) 2018/1702, and (EU) 2019/70.












(8)


To allow sufficient time to finalise the revision processes and to ensure market continuity to licence holders between the current and revised versions of the criteria, the period of validity of the current criteria and of the related assessment and verification requirements should be extended until 31 December 2027 for the tourist accommodation product group, and until 31 December 2028 for the lubricants, graphic paper, tissue paper and tissue products product groups.












(9)


Decisions (EU) 2017/175, (EU) 2018/1702 and (EU) 2019/70 should therefore be amended accordingly.












(10)


The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established by Article 16 of Regulation (EC) No 66/2010,





HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:



Article 1

Amendment to Decision (EU) 2017/175

Article 6 of Decision (EU) 2017/175 is replaced by the following:


‘Article 6
The EU Ecolabel criteria for the product group “tourist accommodation” and the related assessment and verification requirements shall be valid until 31 December 2027.’.




Article 2

Amendment to Decision (EU) 2018/1702

Article 4 of Decision (EU) 2018/1702 is replaced by the following:


‘Article 4
The EU Ecolabel criteria for the product group “lubricants” and the related assessment and verification requirements shall be valid until 31 December 2028.’.




Article 3

Amendment to Decision (EU) 2019/70

Article 5 of Decision (EU) 2019/70 is replaced by the following:


‘Article 5
The EU Ecolabel criteria for the product groups “graphic paper” and “tissue paper and tissue products” and the related assessment and verification requirements for each product group shall be valid until 31 December 2028.’.




Article 4

Addressees

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.




Done at Brussels, 19 December 2024.


For the Commission

Jessika ROSWALL
            

Member of the Commission






(1)  
            OJ L 27, 30.1.2010, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2010/66/oj.

(2)  Commission Decision (EU) 2017/175 of 25 January 2017 establishing the EU Ecolabel criteria for tourist accommodation (OJ L 28, 2.2.2017, p. 9, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2017/175/oj).

(3)  Commission Decision (EU) 2018/1702 of 8 November 2018 establishing the EU Ecolabel criteria for lubricants (OJ L 285, 13.11.2018, p. 82, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2018/1702/oj).

(4)  Commission Decision (EU) 2019/70 of 11 January 2019 establishing the EU Ecolabel criteria for graphic paper and the EU Ecolabel criteria for tissue paper and tissue products (OJ L 15, 17.1.2019, p. 27, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2019/70/oj).

(5)  Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the review of implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1221/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the voluntary participation by organisations in a Community eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS) and the Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 of the parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the EU Ecolabel [COM(2017) 355].


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2024/3179/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)