In the next few weeks, the European Commission is expected to vote on whether to delay a ban on halogen lamps.
Although the industry has long promoted them for their so-called 'eco' benefits, they are only slightly more efficient than the conventional filament bulbs that the EC has already widely banished.
The conventional lighting industry, represented by the Brussels-based trade body LightingEurope, is now campaigning for a stay of halogen's execution. While it tries itself to steer consumers toward an LED future, it claims that quality, performance and price of LEDs will not be ready to meet mass consumer demand until 2020.
