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The European Commission has launched a new instrument to
help companies that are developing innovative environmental
technologies.
The Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) pilot programme
will provide independent verification of the performance of
new environmental technologies. This will help manufacturers
prove the reliability of performance claims, and help technology
purchasers identify innovations that suit their needs.
Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik said - "The Environmental
Technology Verification pilot programme is the first, practical
fruit of the Eco-Innovation Action Plan. Investors need objective
and credible information about the performance of new technologies,
so this initiative will have an important role to play. It
should help companies at the cutting edge of environmental
technologies make the most of the opportunities in the European
Single Market."
The ETV pilot programme, which is entirely voluntary, will
initially cover three areas - water treatment and monitoring;
materials, waste and resources and energy technologies. The
aim is to reduce the risks and increase confidence of the
first purchasers or investors in a new technology by providing
reliable, science-based information on its performance. This
will take the form of a Statement of Verification for use
in business-to-business relations.
ETV services are intended, in particular, for Small and Medium-sized
Enterprises, which may find it more difficult to prove the
performance of new technologies than larger manufacturers.
ETV should reduce the need to multiply demonstration sites
or to repeat test campaigns for different markets. It could
also facilitate exports to non-EU markets such as North America
and Asia, where the ETV approach is progressively recognised.
Next steps
The programme will begin by accrediting the Verification Bodies
(VBs) that will verify the technologies. Interested organisations
are invited to contact the accreditation agency of the Member
State where they are established - the list of which is available
on the website of the European co-operation for Accreditation
(see below).
In the coming months, a call for proposals will be published
under the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) to
support accredited VBs in implementing the pilot programme.
This includes helping manufacturers to undertake verifications
under ETV.
After two to three years of operation, the European Commission
will evaluate the ETV pilot programme, its functioning and
impacts on the marketing of new technologies and will draw
conclusions on the way forward for Environmental Technology
Verification in Europe. Stakeholders will be asked about the
implementation and evaluation of the ETV pilot programme through
a Stakeholder forum to be established in 2012.
Background
The ETV pilot programme has been prepared in co-operation
with 7 Member States and many stakeholders active in the field
of technology development and assessment. It is one of the
actions announced in the new Eco-Innovation Action Plan that
has also just been adopted (see IP/11/1547).
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