ENERGY EFFICIENCY : PLASMA TV BAN NOT ON THE CARDS, SAYS INDUSTRY.

The European electronics industry has dismissed "factually incorrect" reports that plasma televisions could be banned from the EU market due to their increased use of electricity. Under the ecodesign requirements for energy-using products (2005/32/EC), the EU can set standards so as to increase energy savings from all consumer electrical appliances running. The European Commission is currently working on new regulations for improved energy efficiency of television sets using all current technologies, such as plasma TVs, LCD TVs and CRT-based TVs. Officials have talked of publishing a legislative proposal during the second half of 2009.

Tony Graziano from electronics industry association EICTA points to Article 15, Paragraph 5, of the Ecodesign Directive, which stipulates that there shall be no "significant negative impact" on industry's competitiveness and, in principle, that the ecodesign requirement shall not have the consequence of "imposing proprietary technology" on manufacturers. EICTA...