Earlier this month the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) published their consultation seeking views on the European Commission’s proposals (‘the package’) for two new European regulations aimed at improving consumer product safety and the functioning of the European internal market through effective market surveillance. Full details of the consultation can be downloaded at the link below.
Product safety and market surveillance package: proposal for new European regulations (external link)
The proposed package aims to simplify the legislation concerning rules regulating consumer product safety, improving product identification and traceability, improving coordination of the way authorities check products ensuring regulatory compliance and market surveillance. The package also contains a multi annual plan of non-legislative measures on market surveillance; they are intended to simplify and strengthen the rules on market surveillance and to revise the current General Safety Directive (2001/95/EC). The proposals form part of a package that was adopted by the European Commission on 13 February 2013. The two Proposals are:
(i) Proposal for a regulation of the European parliament and the Council on Consumer Product Safety and repealing Council Directive 87/357/EEC and Directive 2001/95/EC (“The regulation on Consumer Product Safety Regulation”); and
(ii) Proposal for a regulation of the European parliament and of the Council on market surveillance of products and amending Council Directives 89/686/EEC and 93/15/EEC and Directives 94/9/EC, 94/25/EC, 95/16/EC, 97/23/EC, 1999/5/EC, 2000/9/EC, 2000/14/EC 2001/95//EC, 2004/108/EC, 2006/42/EC, 2006/95/EC, 2007/23/EC, 2008/57/EC, 2009/48/EC 2009/105/EC, 2009/142/EC 2011/65/EU, regulation (EU) No 305/2011, regulation (EU) No 764/2008 and regulation (EU) No 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (” The regulation on Market Surveillance”). A copy of the two proposals and the Commission’s Impact assessment can be downloaded on the European Commission website.
Product Safety and Market Surveillance Package (external link)
This is a UK wide consultation and is aimed at manufacturers, importers distributors, retailers, consumers, government departments, enforcement authorities, and trade associations. BIS is interested on views on the content of the proposals which will help to shape the UK line in negotiations on the two regulation proposals. Negotiations have already started and are likely to continue into 2014.
Responses to the consultation are required by 4 September 2013.