Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/1784 of 1 October 2019 laying down ecodesign requirements for welding equipment pursuant to Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (Text with EEA relevance)
Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/1784of 1 October 2019laying down ecodesign requirements for welding equipment pursuant to Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(Text with EEA relevance)THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,Having regard to Article 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,Having regard to Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy-related productsOJ L 285, 31.10.2009, p. 10., and in particular Article 15(1) thereof,Whereas:(1)Pursuant to Directive 2009/125/EC the Commission should set ecodesign requirements for energy-related products which account for significant volumes of sales and trade in the Union and which have a significant environmental impact and present significant potential for improvement through design in terms of their environmental impact, without entailing excessive costs.(2)The Communication from the Commission COM(2016) 773 finalCommunication from the Commission. Ecodesign working plan 2016-2019 (COM(2016) 773 final, Brussels, 30.11.2016). (ecodesign working plan) established by the Commission in application of Article 16(1) of Directive 2009/125/EC sets out the working priorities under the ecodesign and energy labelling framework for the period 2016-2019. The ecodesign working plan identifies the energy-related product groups to be considered as priorities for the undertaking of preparatory studies and eventual adoption of implementing measures, as well as the review of the current Regulations.(3)Measures from the ecodesign working plan have an estimated potential to deliver a total in excess of 260 TWh of annual final energy savings in 2030, which is equivalent to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 100 million tonnes per year in 2030.(4)The Commission has carried out a preparatory study to analyse the technical, environmental and economic aspects of welding equipment and machine tool products for industrial purposesMachine tools were initially covered in the preparatory work, but they have been excluded from the scope of this Regulation due to the difficulty of determining minimum efficiency requirements on the basis of the currently available information. Additional data collection, especially on the technical options for reducing energy consumption in non-processing states such as standby and other low-power modes, could result in ecodesign measures being proposed for machine tools in the future.. Welding equipment subject to the study comprises arc and plasma welding equipment for metals, designed and typically used for industrial and professional useAs defined in IEC 60 974-1: Arc welding equipment — Part 1: Welding power sources. Specifically excluded from the scope of this Regulation are arc welding and cutting equipment designed for limited-duty operation by the layperson in accordance with IEC 60 974-6: Arc welding equipment — Part 6: Limited duty equipment.. It has been considered that welding equipment exclusively powered with engines or batteries should not be regulated.(5)The preparatory study was conducted in close cooperation with stakeholders and interested parties in the EU and elsewhere. The results were made public and presented to the Consultation Forum established under Article 18 of Directive 2009/125/EC.(6)The environmental aspects of welding equipment that were identified as significant for the purposes of this Regulation are:(a)energy consumption in the use phase, including when the products are in "idle" mode;(b)resource efficiency aspects.(7)Annual final energy consumption directly related to welding equipment is expected to be in excess of 6 TWh in 2030, corresponding to 2,4 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, excluding the energy used in making the associated consumables (such as shielding gases, welding wire). The preparatory study showed that energy consumption in the use phase and various idle or standby modes can be reduced significantly.(8)By 2030, it is estimated that the ecodesign requirements in this Regulation will result in annual energy savings of 1,09 TWh, corresponding to total annual savings of about 0,27 Mt CO2 equivalent.(9)The Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions COM(2015) 614 finalCommunication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. Closing The Loop — An EU action plan for the circular economy (COM(2015) 614 final, Brussels, 2.12.2015). (circular economy action plan) and the ecodesign working plan underline the importance of using the ecodesign framework to support the move towards a more resource efficient and circular economy. Directive 2012/19/EU of the European Parliament and of the CouncilDirective 2012/19/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) (OJ L 197, 24.7.2012, p. 38). refers to Directive 2009/125/EC and indicates that ecodesign requirements should facilitate the re-use, dismantling and recovery of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) by tackling the issues upstream. Accordingly this Regulation lays down requirements on non-energy-related aspects, including:(a)disassembly;(b)reparability;(c)critical raw materials.(10)In addition, it requires that welding equipment be accompanied by information on the use of shielding gases during welding and the quantities of welding wire or filler material used.(11)The energy and resource consumption of welding equipment could be reduced by applying existing non-proprietary techniques without an increase in the combined costs of purchasing and operation.(12)The preparatory study has concluded that the proposed ecodesign requirements do not affect the functionality or affordability of welding equipment from the end-user’s perspective and do not negatively affect health, safety or the environment.(13)The timing for the introduction of ecodesign requirements allows manufacturers to redesign the products covered by this Regulation. It takes account of the impact on costs for manufacturers, in particular the large proportion of small and medium-sized enterprises in the welding equipment manufacturing sector in the EU, while ensuring the timely achievement of the objectives of this Regulation.(14)Product parameters should be measured and calculated using reliable, accurate and reproducible methods that take into account recognised state-of-the-art measurement and calculation techniques, including, where available, harmonised standards adopted by the European standardisation organisations following a request from the Commission, in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilRegulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on European standardisation (OJ L 316, 14.11.2012, p. 12)..(15)In accordance with Article 8 of Directive 2009/125/EC, this Regulation should specify which conformity assessment procedures apply.(16)To facilitate compliance checks, manufacturers should provide the information contained in the technical documentation referred to in Annexes IV and V to Directive 2009/125/EC where that information relates to the requirements laid down in this Regulation.(17)In addition to the legally binding requirements laid down in this Regulation, benchmarks for best available techniques should be identified to make information on the lifecycle environmental performance of products subject to this Regulation widely available and easily accessible, in accordance with part 3(2) of Annex I to Directive 2009/125/EC.(18)In order to improve the effectiveness and credibility of this Regulation and to protect consumers, products that automatically alter their performance in test conditions to improve the declared parameters should be prohibited.(19)A review of this Regulation should assess the appropriateness and effectiveness of its provisions in achieving its goals. The timing of the review should allow for all provisions to be implemented and show an effect on the market.(20)In order to improve the operation of the internal market and the environmental performance of welding equipment throughout the Union, ecodesign requirements should harmonise the relevant energy consumption and resource efficiency requirements. The requirements should be revised not later than 2024 in the light of technological evolution, in order to take advantage of further possibilities of improving the equipment’s performance and the operation of the internal market.(21)The measures provided for in this Regulation were discussed by the Consultation Forum referred to in Article 18 of Directive 2009/125/EC.(22)The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established under Article 19(1) of Directive 2009/125/EC,HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: