Administrative structure of the EU Ecolabel Award Scheme

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme

• Mr. Daniel Hájek
• Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme

• Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 of the European
  Parliament and of the Council of 17 July 2000 on
  a revised Community eco-label award scheme

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme - EUEB

• COMMISSION DECISION 730/2000 of 10 November 2000
  establishing the European Union Eco-labelling
  Board and its rules of procedure
• Contains basic roles for EUEB

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme

• ROLE OF THE EUEB
• request the Commission to initiate the procedure
  for setting the ecological criteria as well as
  the related assessment and compliance
  verification requirements for product groups
• contribute to the setting and review of Eco-label
  criteria as well as the related assessment and
  compliance verification requirements for product
  groups
• be consulted by the Commission on the Community
  Eco-label working plan
• the members of the EUEB shall cooperate with the
  Member States and the Commission in promoting the
  use of the Community Eco-label.

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme

• COMPOSITION
• The EUEB shall consist of the competent bodies
• Amongst others, the following organisations,
  representing the interested parties, shall be
  members of the EUEB
• Coface (consumers, representing also BEUC,
  Eurocoop and AEC),
• EEB (environmental)
• ETUC (trade unions)
• UNICE (industry)
• UEAPME (SMEs, crafts)
• Eurocommerce (commerce)
• Each member of the EUEB shall designate a contact
  person

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme

• CHAIR, VICE-CHAIRS AND SECRETARIAT
• The chair and the two vice-chairs of the EUEB
  shall be held in turn by the EU Eco-label
  competent bodies
• The chair shall firstly be held in turn by a
  competent body from each Member State of the
  European Union, during the period of their
  presidency
• The two vice-chairs shall be held by the
  competent body that is next in line to hold the
  chair and the competent body that previously held
  the chair
• The competent body holding the chair or the
  vice-chairs may, exceptionally, be replaced by
  one of the vice-chairs or by another member of
  the EUEB

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme

• MEETINGS
• Meetings of the EUEB shall be convened by the
  chair, who shall, with the assistance of the
  vice-chairs and of the secretariat, be
  responsible for preparing and circulating the
  invitations, agendas and supporting papers, as
  well as drafting and circulating the
  corresponding minutes
• The Commission shall on request make a meeting
  room available should the meeting be scheduled to
  take place in Brussels
• In general no more than three representatives of
  a member of the EUEB should participate in a
  given meeting
• Representatives of the Member States of the
  European Union and of the European Economic Area
  may participate in the EUEB meetings.
  Representatives of the Commission shall
  participate in the EUEB meetings. The Chairperson
  or the Commission may, where appropriate, invite
  other interested parties to participate

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme

• OTHER ACTIONS BY THE MEMBERS OF THE EUEB
• The members of the EUEB shall act in the general
  interest of the Community Eco-label Scheme, and
  may take any initiatives they consider pertinent
  and useful to this end. They may similarly act at
  the request of the Commission. Such initiatives
  may include, amongst others
• promotional activities
• the formation of ad hoc working groups,
• actions to promote the harmonised application of
  Eco- label criteria and related assessment and
  compliance verification requirements, including
  the regular adaptation and improvement of the
  related user manuals,
• drafting guidelines, for example to facilitate
  the development of ecological criteria,
• adopting internal procedures as appropriate

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme Regulatory Committee

• Representatives of Member states only
• Regulatory committee takes a vote on final draft
  criteria
• Political decision

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme - CB in MS

• Each Member State (MS) shall ensure that the body
  or bodies, responsible for carrying out the tasks
  provided for in Regulation 1980, is/are
  designated and operational. Where more than one
  competent body is designated, the MS shall
  determine those bodies' respective powers and the
  coordination requirements applicable to them
• Member States shall ensure that
• the composition of the competent bodies is such
  as to guarantee their independence and neutrality
• the rules of procedure of the competent bodies
  ensure, at national level, the active involvement
  of all interested parties and an appropriate
  level of transparency
• the competent bodies shall apply correctly the
  provisions of Regulation 1980.

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme - CBs in the Czech Rep.

• Ministry of the Environment 2-3 employees
• Czech Eco-labelling Agency 2-3 employees
• (expert unit of CENIA - Czech Environmental
  Information Agency , established by the Ministry
  of the Environment and is receiving contributions
  from the state budget )

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme - Ministry of the Environment

• Guarantee the right to use the logo to specific
  products
• Expresses their opinion to all issues of
  development of the Programme - Regulation
  Committee member expresses its comments and
  suggestions to the Program - cooperation with CB
• Organizing awarding ceremony
• Responsible for legislative support

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme - Ministry of the Environment (award
ceremony)
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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme - CENIA

• to provide the applicants with applications
  together with the full wording of the relevant
  guideline
• to register and handle applications for granting
  the right to use the logo, and to draw up summary
  report on the products to which the right to use
  the logo should be granted
• to conclude license agreements with the
  applicants
• to collect registration and annual fees
• to recommend, to an applicant, the corresponding
  accredited laboratory, testing institution or
  other special institution
• site-visits at the manufacturer, checking of
  compliance with the conditions for granting the
  right to use the logo, according to requirements
  stated in the guidelines

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme web site (www.ekoznacka.cz)
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Promotional activities in photos
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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme - European commission

• Guarantee of the Program
• Expresses its opinions to all issues of
  development of the Programme and criteria in all
  stages
• Provides a web site
• Common expenses necessary for the meetings,
  developing and reviewing ecological criteria and
  other activities shall be met by the Commission

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme The Flower web site
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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme - The Eco-label Helpdesk

• The European Commission has awarded a contract to
  Bio Intelligence Service to assist the ongoing
  marketing and promotion efforts of the Commission
  and the various EUEB stakeholders (in particular
  the marketing management group).
• The basic objectives of the EU Eco-label helpdesk
  are
• To provide interested parties (business,
  retailers, consumers etc, in particular potential
  new Eco-label holders) with timely and accurate
  information concerning the EU Eco-label
• To host, maintain and further develop the newly
  installed Eco-label platform (www.eco-label.com)
• To assist and implement activities of the
  marketing management group of the EUEB
• To develop and carry out promotion activities for
  the EU Eco-label

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme
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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme

• Co-operation and Co-ordination Group
• Objective Progressively co-ordinate product
  group development in the different labelling
  schemes in the EU.
• co-ordinate product group development (including
  reviewing existing product groups and agreeing a
  far as possible on a common approach)
• examine possibilities of mutual recognition, and
  mutual fee reductions
• develop harmonised DID list
• develop joint marketing activities and
  information to consumers (on common and
  complementary aims of the different labels, joint
  lists of all eco-label award holders and where
  their products can be found)

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme

• Marketing Management Group
• The group develops and implements joint marketing
  initiatives
• Marketing Management Group meetings are organised
  with EUEB meetings
• CB sit together with all the interested EUEB
  stakeholders to discuss marketing initiatives
• the most important marketing activities are
  prepared for the Flower Campaign
• the Chair is an Italian Competent Body
• also Eco-label helpdesk assists the group

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme Standard contract

• COMMISSION DECISION 729/2000 of 10 November 2000
  on a standard contract covering the terms of use
  of the Community Eco-label

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme Standard contract

• It specifies
• rights and obligations of a holder,
• conditions of advertising and the compliance
  monitoring,
• conditions on the confidentiality of information
  gained by the Competent Body,
• conditions on suspension and withdrawal of the
  authorisation of the Flower logo, and on
  limitation aspects of liability and indemnity,
• fees, complaints, contract duration and
  applicable law.

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme FEES

• COMMISSION DECISION (EC) 728/2000 of 10 November
  2000 establishing the application and annual fees
  of the Community Eco-label

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme - GPP

• The EU Eco-label criteria take into account the
  main environmental impacts of a product and the
  technically possible improvements
• Purchasers can easily check if companies are able
  to meet technical requirements
• Purchasers are sure of using a scheme that is
  fully compatible with the Internal Market
  principles

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Administrative structure of the EU Eco-label
Award Scheme

• Thank you for your attention
• Daniel Hájek
• Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic
  
• Department of Environmental Policy
• e-mail Daniel_Hajek_at_env.cz
• tel. [phone]