Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 provides that the eco-label may be awarded to a product possessing characteristics which enable it to contribute significantly to improvements in relation to key environmental aspects.

Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 provides that specific eco-label criteria shall be established according to product groups.

Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 provides that the review of the eco-label criteria as well as of the assessment and verification requirements related to the criteria shall take place in due time before the end of the period of validity of the criteria specified for each product group and shall result in a proposal for prolongation, withdrawal or revision.

It is appropriate to revise the definition of the product group and the ecological criteria that were established by Decision 98/483/EC in order to reflect the developments in the market.

It is appropriate to adopt a new Commission Decision establishing the specific ecological criteria for this product group, which will be valid for a period of five years.

It is appropriate that, for a limited period of not more than 12 months, both the new criteria established by this Decision and the criteria previously established by Decision 98/483/EC, are valid concurrently, in order to allow sufficient time for companies that have been awarded the eco-label for their products prior to the adoption of this new Decision to adapt these products to comply with the new criteria.

The measures set out in this Decision have been developed and adopted under the procedures for the setting of eco-label criteria as laid down in Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000,

The measures set out in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the committee set up under Article 17 of Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000,