The European Commission has agreed with conventional lighting industry arguments and voted to postpone a ban on halogen lamps until September 2018, writes Lux Magazine.

It did not, however, extend the ban until 2020, which lighting industry body LightingEurope had lobbied for.

The EC had set the 2016 date back in 2009, giving the industry seven years to prepare for it. But the industry lobbied hard in recent months to delay the ban, saying that seven years was not going to be long enough. It argued among other things that Europe would face a lamp shortage because there would not be enough quality LED lamps to meet general demand.

It also said the industry needed more time to develop LEDs with features to which consumers are accustomed, such as standard dimming, multi-directional light beams, and good colour rendering, at an affordable price.

Read more on this story at Lux Magazine