"It took more time than if we did not have a backdrop of anti-EU campaigns. But the beauty is that we had a full-fledged discussion about the merits of this," he said.
"We are no longer in this paternalistic world where the Commission comes up with plans and everyone says 'Thanks Commission'," said Timmermans.
After leaked documents revealed that toasters would not be on the list, Germany's tabloid Bild praised Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
But Timmermans denied that the Commission was scared of bad headlines in the press.
"You have to make a choice of whether you go along with the rhetoric, or whether you go with the evidence," he said.
The products which have gone on the list for potential regulation under the Ecodesign Directive are hand dryers, lifts, solar panels, kettles, building automation and control systems and refrigerated carriers.
Timmermans said that Ecodesign was vital if the EU was to hit the climate commitments it made as part of the Paris Agreement on climate change, and to make a success of initiatives such as the Circular Economy Package.
"I don't see how you can regulate this at national level and frankly that is not contested by member states," he said.
"Ecodesign measures should also focus on improving the lifespan of products and how easily they can be repaired and recycled, to curb the huge amount of natural resources they consume. Only this will harness the full power of ecodesign to aid the transition to a circular economy," said Stephane Arditi, Coolproducts campaign coordinator.
Timmermans was speaking at an event hosted by the BEUC, the European Consumers Organisation.
Beuc argues that Ecodesign is not only good for industry and the environment, but can save consumers up to €330 a year.
The only way to get even minor reform of the EU was for a major country to leave it. Maybe toasters could be the start of something bigger, but not while Drunker et al retain their sinecures which gives them no incentive to engineer reform – quite the opposite.