The European machinery industry has welcomed the European Commission's proposed new regulation on market surveillance but calls for more ambitious measures to tackle the problem of non-compliant machinery in the market.

"The European machinery industry, represented by CECE, CECIMO, CEMA, FEM and EUROMAP, warmly welcomes the proposal from the Commission, as it reflects many of the suggestions that our industry has made during the past months," says EUROMAP president Luciano Aneschi.

"While we fully support the positive aspects of this package, we also call on the European Parliament and Council to come up with additional amendments to improve the overall effectiveness of the proposed scheme," he adds.

The proposed new regulation on market surveillance addresses both the non-harmonised consumer and harmonised non-consumer products. Current market surveillance rules are scattered across a number of legislations, namely the GPSD (2001/95/EC), Regulation 765/2008 and a range of sector-specific legislation. The package now brings these rules together in a single instrument and aims to establish uniform rules for market surveillance activities in the EU.

The proposed regulation also introduces a broader definition of risk, which places all public interests on the same level of importance. In the past, risk for public interest was mainly interpreted as risk for safety and health, but now it is extended to include environmental protection and energy efficiency regulated by EU harmonised legislation.

The document also indicates specific measures that should be taken in case of serious risk, which include destroying, preventing from placing on the market, recalling and withdrawing the respective products.

CECIMO president Martin Kapp says the proposal is very important for manufacturers who have long requested effective actions to prevent non-compliant machines from creating unfair competition.

The regulation also establishes a European Market Surveillance Forum (EMSF) with sectorial subgroups.

"We welcome this initiative which should help to co-ordinate the activities of all the national authorities and directly spot a sectoral market surveillance problem," says FEM president Jan van der Velden. "However, the role of the industry in that forum should go beyond that of a mere observer so that our technical expertise can be fully used."

Van der Velden adds that trade associations should co-operate with member state authorities to set up technical procedures for the inspection of the machines. Market surveillance is an activity confined to government bodies. However, regulations are complex, and products are technical and difficult to check.

CEMA president Gilles Dryancour says market surveillance is an essential pillar of the internal market and that "without appropriate controls on compliance, requirements are of no value".

"The internal market will only be completed when rules are respected, not when they are just in place," he says.

CECE represents an industry that comprises 1,200 companies. In 2011, CECE equipment manufacturers had a total turnover of EUR23 billion (USD30 billion) and directly employed 130,000 people. European construction machines are about 25% of worldwide production.

CECIMO unites 15 national associations of machine tool builders, which represent about 1,500 industrial enterprises in Europe, more than 80% of which are SMEs. CECIMO covers more than 97% of Europe's total machine tool production and more than one third worldwide. It accounted for almost 150,000 employees and a turnover of nearly EUR21 billion (USD27.4 billion) in 2011.

CEMA is the European association representing the agricultural machinery industry that comprises 4,500 equipment manufacturers directly employing 135,000 people. The companies had a total turnover of EUR26 billion (USD33.9 billion) in 2011.

FEM promotes European manufacturers of materials handling, lifting and storage equipment, and speaks for 15 members representing about 1,000 companies (mostly SMEs) directly employing 160,000 people and with an annual turnover of EUR45 billion (USD58.7 billion) in 2008.

EUROMAP is the umbrella organisation for the European plastics and rubber machinery industry, which accounts for about 50% of worldwide production and export volumes. It represents more than 3,400 companies, which together employ a total of 91,000 staff and generate annual sales of almost EUR16 billion (USD21 billion).