Environmental Leader

Environmental group WWF, Ikea (which sells about 20 percent of the EU’s energy-saving light bulbs) and Philips are lobbying EU governments to reject a proposal extending anti-dumping duties on Chinese energy-saving light bulbs for one more year, Reuters reports.WWF wrote to the British government this week, criticizing the plan: “Any continuation will result in an unnecessary slowing down of the shift from incandescent lamps … that could contribute to savings of 23 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, equivalent to 0.5 percent of EU greenhouse gas emissions,” the letter, obtained by Reuters, said.

The duties add up to 66 percent to the price of Chinese bulbs entering the EU. They were due to expire in 2006 but Osram asked for them to be continued. Philips imports more light bulbs from China than Osram and it wants the duties scrapped now. Osram says it is simply seeking to uphold the rules of free and fair trade.

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