| Author (Corporate) | European Commission |
|---|---|
| Series Title | COM |
| Series Details | (2014) 25 final (22.1.14) |
| Publication Date | 22/01/2014 |
| Content Type | Policy-making, Report |
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In 2012, the Union celebrated the 20th anniversary of the single market ensuring the free movement of goods, services, people and capital within the European Union (EU). The objective of this Communication is to formulate a number of recommendations for the legislation on the internal market for industrial products and to set out a broader vision for the next decade. It will be transmitted to the European Council, as requested in its meeting of 14 and 15 March 2013. Strengthening the effectiveness of the internal market for industrial products was identified as a priority in the October 2012 update on an Integrated Industrial Policy. This proposed the re-industrialisation of the EU, based on a four-pillar strategy, one of which is improving access to markets. The European Commission therefore carried out an evaluation of EU law in the area of industrial products to assess the regulatory framework’s overall coherence and ‘fitness for purpose’ and to develop an evidence base on the cumulative regulatory effects from an industry perspective. In parallel, the Commission organised a public consultation of stakeholders. This Communication builds on the results of the evaluation and the public consultation and analyses the regulatory environment of the internal market for industrial products. The detailed results of the evaluation, the public consultation and a number of case-studies are set out in the accompanying Commission Staff Working Document. The internal market for products has been a frontrunner in EU economic integration. Regulatory obstacles within the Union are prevented by Directive 98/34/EC or eliminated through the principle of mutual recognition, or through Union harmonisation legislation. The objective of this legislation is twofold, first ensuring that products placed on the European market guarantee high levels of protection for health and safety and the environment and secondly, ensuring the free movement of products by replacing national rules with a single harmonised set of conditions for placing products on the internal market so that these can circulate freely. The focus of this Communication is on industrial products i.e. non-food products manufactured through an industrial process. It covers a wide range of products such as different types of machines, radio equipment, electrical and electronic devices, toys and many others. The EU acquis for industrial products has gradually expanded, and today there are more than 30 directives and regulations; both those covering specific industrial products (e.g. pressure equipment, gas appliances) and those that apply horizontally across many different product groups, such as REACH (chemicals) and the Ecodesign Directive. Union legislation that has recently been subject to major revision, in particular the legislation on medical devices, cosmetics, construction products and on consumer product safety and market surveillance is not addressed by this Communication. Chemical products and motor vehicles are also outside the scope of the analysis since the Union legislation in these sectors has recently been evaluated or subjected to a regulatory fitness check. Finally, pharmaceuticals are left aside because of their very specific nature. |
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| Source Link | Link to Main Source http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2014:025:FIN |
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| Subject Categories | Business and Industry, Internal Markets |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
