"I support it. I think it's a good idea. I hope ... it will materialise," EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said in a BBC interview on Friday.

"It will be good for fighting climate change, and good for consumers to have the possibility to purchase environmentally friendly products at cheaper prices." France and Britain argued the proposal could help the bloc meet its climate change goals and reduce energy consumption.

But Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU Tax Commissioner Laszlo Kovacs played down prospects that the idea would get off the ground. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy acknowledged their plan faced stiff opposition from other member states.

The European Commission has the sole right to propose changes to the VAT system, and any alterations would require the approval of all 27 EU governments.

Brown and Sarkozy believe that lower value-added tax on environmentally friendly fridges, dishwashers, electronic goods, cleaning materials, light bulbs and insulation could spur people to buy products that use less energy.

"It could be a lowering of VAT or giving a subsidy for insulation, or an interest-free loan, to retrofit existing buildings," Dimas said.

EU leaders have pledged to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 and increase the share of wind, solar, hydro and wave power and biofuels in their energy mix by the same date.