The European machinery industry is urging the European Parliament to strengthen the Commission's proposed new regulation for market surveillance (Forkliftaction.com News #605).

During a roundtable discussion on 20 March at the European Parliament in Brussels, the European coalition of machinery industry associations, represented by CECE, CECIMO, CEMA, FEM and EUROMAP, called on the European Parliament to fully support and further strengthen the Commission proposal for a new regulation on market surveillance.

There was widespread agreement last month that the legislative package presents a unique opportunity to finally achieve a level playing field in the 'single market' and is a landmark initiative to support the EU's re-industrialisation objective.

While generally positive about the proposal, the coalition asked the European Parliament to help make it more ambitious and relevant to the problem of unfair competition that machinery producers are increasingly facing in the single market.

The European Commission, represented by Diego Canga Fano, head of cabinet of vice- president Antonio Tajani and members of the European Parliament Amalia Sartori, Jürgen Creutzmann, and Andreas Schwab, affirmed that market surveillance is a shared responsibility and requires a high level of co-operation between member states, the European Commission and industry.

Jan van der Velden, FEM president says: "As good as the EU framework set by the regulation can and hopefully will be, market surveillance remains the task and competence of member states. The system will only be fully effective if member states are ready to commit the necessary human and financial resources."

Paul Burger, CECE trade policy commission chairman says: "We strongly believe that unlawful traders placing non-compliant products on the markets should bear the cost of the damage they cause."

Jarmo Hyvönen, CECIMO vice-president, stresses the importance of establishing a Union framework for proportionate and deterrent sanctions. "A certain level of approximation between sanctions in member states should ensure that those who play unfairly are exposed to a similar level of risk on every spot of the Union's territories."

Giles Dryancour, CEMA president, says: "While the proposal presents a solid legal framework to tackle the specific market surveillance challenges for machinery producers, close co-operation between the authorities and manufacturers will be a key element to ensure we can make this legislation work in practice."

Highlighting the importance of stopping non-compliant imports at the point of entry, Luciano Anceschi, EUROMAP president, says: "The technical capacity and knowledge of customs authorities should be strengthened to carry out first conformity checks on imports. Moreover, it is of (the utmost importance) to establish tighter controls on the activities of notified bodies outside Europe."

By ensuring compliance with EU legislation and eliminating unfair competition, more effective market surveillance will help safeguard the long-term competitiveness of the European machinery industry and protect vital public interests in the areas of health and safety, energy efficiency and environmental protection.