Minister for the Environment John Gormley has said he will not proceed with legislation to phase out traditional light bulbs because the European Union has accelerated its own plans to ban them.
The gradual ban of incandescent light-bulbs was due to commence in Ireland from next June under a new law that was to be published early this year. But Mr Gormley today announced that the Irish proposals will now be dropped in light of more ambitious EU proposals.
Last month, the EU commission published plans to phase out incandescent bulbs starting this September - three months later than the Irish plan - and ending in 2012. While the move has already received preliminary approval from member states, it will face a number of hurdles including scrutiny by the European Parliament.
However, if the parliament gives its approval to the proposals, it will be formally adopted by the Commission in March.
Mr Gormley said today that after carefully considering the EU Commission's document, he now accepted the proposal. He conced it will be implemented some three months later than originally envisaged for Ireland.
However he pointed out that its overall scope was wider than had been expected.
"It is, in my view, a very positive step for the EU and I'm satisfied that, if adopted and implemented as proposed, it obviates the need for any national measures," he added
Mr Gormley, who is also Green Party leader, claimed that the more robust EU measures were inspired by the plans by Ireland and a small number of other member states.
The vice president of the EU Commission Günter Verheugen said that Ireland had taken a leadership role on the issue of lightbulbs.
"The Irish plans prompted the Commission to pursue a much more ambitious EU-wide approach for the phasing out of energy inefficient lighting," he said.
Labour Party environment spokeswoman Joanne Tuffy welcomed what she said was a climbdown from the minister on this issue. "I have been saying for the last year and a half that it made no sense for Ireland to proceed by itself ahead of the rest of the EU," she said.
"If the Minister had jumed ahead and gone with it earlier, what would have happened was there would have been a huge incentive for people to go to the North of Ireland to buy their light bulbs.
"The EU approach is the right way and will fall into line with the single market area. This will protect Irish retailers and jobs as much as anything else," she said.
But Fine Gael environment spokesman Phil Hogan said Mr Gormley's decision to abandon his plan and instead follow EU proposals now leaves the programme for government entirely "green-free".
"John Gormley's decision is the last piece of the capitulation jigsaw of Green participation in Government with Fianna Fáil in terms of implementation of the Programme for Government. There is now nothing in the
Programme that is even slightly green-tinged," Mr Hogan said.
Mr Gormley later pointed out that the idea makes sense from both an economic and environmental perspective. He siad that householders can save €12 each year for every incandescent lightbulb they replace.
He also pointed out that consumers will have a choice later this year between different kinds of energy-efficient light bulb. The main bulb on the market at present are compact fluorescent (CFC) light bulbs. However, new generation LED lightbulbs, some with a life span of over 40 years, will become increasingly availalble form later this year.
