Procedure for participation

Article 3 of the covenant gives the conditions and the procedure for participation:

Article 3

Participation

1. Companies and Sector Organizations may become party to this Covenant if they accept their commitments arising from this Covenant without reservation.
2. The Companies and Sector Organizations referred to in Clause 1 shall notify the Commission Benchmarking of their desire to join this Covenant by registered letter. Companies will also state the energy intensive facilities with which they wish to take part (Participation Statement).
3. For a facility with an annual energy consumption < 0.5 PJ, the Verification Office will assess, based on guidelines laid down by the Commission, Benchmarking, if this facility meets the requirements of Article 2, Clause 2. The Verification Office shall notify the legal entity in question of its motivated decision by registered letter, within four weeks of receiving the notification referred to in Clause 2 of this Article. The Verification Office may extend this period within four weeks after receiving the notification, with no more than four weeks.
4. For a facility with an annual energy consumption > 0.5 PJ and for Sector Organizations, the rights and commitments pursuant to this Covenant shall take effect from the date on which the notification is sent. For a facility with an annual energy consumption < 0.5 PJ, for which the notification referred to in Clause 3 of this Article shows that the requirements of Article 2, Clause 2 are met, the relevant party's rights and commitments pursuant to this Covenant shall take effect from the date on which that notification is received.
5. The Commission Benchmarking shall keep a record of Companies and Sector Organizations that join the Covenant. The participating facilities for each Company will be listed. This record will be open for public inspection.
6. A Company which starts a new facility during the life time of this Covenant may still participate in respect to this facility by notifying the Commission Benchmarking, if it commissions a benchmark consultant which fulfils the requirements laid down in Appendix 2 before the start, if it has a best International Standard assessed as specified in Article 4 and surrenders an energy plan as specified in Article 5 within one year after the start. The other commitments of Articles 3 to 7 have to be fulfilled from two years after the start.

The role of the participating sector organizations is indicated in Article 11:

Article 11

Commitments of the Sector Organizations

1. Sector organizations undertake to:

1. encourage their members to participate in and implement this Covenant.
2. take part in the activities of the Commission Benchmarking.
3. actively inform their members of the subject of this Covenant.
4. act as a point of contact for the Government Parties to the Covenant on behalf of the private sector.

2. The sectoral organizations undertake to play a co-ordinating role in:

1. the selection of the benchmark consultant(s).
2. the development of new benchmarking systems referred to in Article 4, Clause 6.
3. the implementation of this Covenant.

The participating companies undertake to implement a benchmark study, to draw up and execute plans to bridge the gap from the Best International Standard and to stay there, to monitor their progress and report about it. They enjoy the commitments of the government. This is all explained in detail in the accompanying brochure "Stap voor Stap door het convenant" and in the explanations.

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