The European Union will support Ireland's attempts to ban incandescent light bulbs by early next year, Minister for the Environment John Gormley said following a meeting with EU commissioners in Brussels yesterday.
The proposed ban, which would be brought about by setting minimum energy standards for electric lighting, had been put in doubt because of EU competition rules that make it difficult for member states to unilaterally ban goods.
However, following his meeting with EU vice-president Günter Verheugen and environment commissioner Stavros Dimas, Mr Gormley said the EU was not only supportive of Ireland's stance but was planning to step up its own planned regulation as much as possible.
Mr Gormley said he told the commissioners that Ireland would work closely with the European Commission to ensure new light bulb standards would be fully consistent with the solution envisaged by the commission itself. He also said Ireland would observe "notification" procedures, which require timely notice of proposed new regulations.
Mr Gormley also insisted Ireland would engage in a full consultation process with industry and other interested parties and claimed there had been "a lot of misinformation and scaremongering in the last week on the proposals.
"I want to assure people that the approach to be taken will be pragmatic, and will take into account any legitimate concerns and issues regarding the drafting of the standards. That is why the Government has allowed for a full 12 months before any standards would come into force," he said.
A briefing note from the department also said the use of mercury in compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) posed no serious danger to health. "CFLs, which contain very small amounts of mercury, are manufactured to stringent safety standards. Lights containing mercury (fluorescent tubes) have been widespread in Ireland for more than 50 years. The department cannot find any records or evidence of them having posed serious safety issues for the general public.
"Nevertheless, as CFLs are likely to become more widespread, the department will be asking the Environmental Protection Agency to draw up guidelines for people in the unlikely event of breakage of these products."
However, Labour Party spokeswoman on the environment and climate change Joanna Tuffy said the Minister's claims "simply do not stand up to scrutiny".
Ms Tuffy told The Irish Timesthe Minister was "being disingenuous in giving the impression that he has got the go-ahead to his proposal to ban incandescent bulbs, when he has merely got support in principle for the idea.
"While support from EU commissioners is certainly to be welcomed, it falls well short of the commission giving Minister Gormley permission to take regulatory shortcuts by bypassing EU technical standards directives" she said.
Ms Tuffy added that the notification process alone which the Minister committed to could take up to 21 months.
