Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-02-19-Speech-2-014"
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"en.20080219.5.2-014"2
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"Madam President, I, too, want to commend to Members the excellent work that has been carried out by our rapporteurs for the goods package, Mr Brie, Ms Schaldemose and Mr Stubb, who, I think, are all legislative virgins. I think it is the first report they have done in this Parliament and, I have to say, they have done a very good job, together with staff. We have to thank the Commissioner himself, who has demonstrated commitment and dedication to this issue, and the Council and the Presidency again, which have made all this happen.
I think we have managed to achieve an agreement which will free up circulation of safe products on the internal market, while introducing a tougher regime to detect dangerous goods and prevent them from coming onto the market and obviously maintaining tough rules, which we already have in place for food safety, medical equipment and blood products. With the adoption of this package, business and SMEs will find it easier, as Mr Stubb said, to sell their products – common household goods, bicycles, ladders, tanks, containers etc. – while consumers should reap the benefit of a wider choice of high-quality and safe products.
But we have said very clearly that free movement of goods must not compromise safety. On the contrary, our rapporteurs have sought to strengthen the safety and enforcement regime with essential requirements in this package, by making it clear that all products placed on the market, including imports from third countries, must comply with the law, whether it is a Toy Safety Directive or the Directive on electrical equipment; by making it clear that all economic operators are legally responsible – and, indeed, liable – for placing products on the market and for the accuracy of the information they provide; by strengthening the current CE marking system to help consumer knowledge and confidence in products; and by increasing the coordination and cooperation of the market surveillance authorities, in particular to react faster in emergency cases to detect and withdraw unsafe products.
I go back to the example of toys. While I would stress that US toy safety legislation on testing requirements and standards is weaker than the European Union’s, and their problems with defective toys were greater, nonetheless the recalls for the same product occurred in July in the US and it took Member States until September to take action to withdraw defective toy products from the market in the EU. That is why the changes that have been made by our rapporteurs for swifter action are, indeed, essential.
If we are to engender consumer confidence, then we must ensure that there are no loopholes for defective or dangerous products. I think that the message this Parliament will give today by voting through these new measures is that we want goods to move freely, we want to increase competition and consumer choice, but we will not compromise on safety and, therefore, we have stepped up enforcement surveillance and given the CE mark the legal protection it deserves, to ensure that importers and manufacturers can be legally prosecuted if they fail in their duty of responsibility to protect the consumer.
So, Commissioner, I want to thank you for the constructive and intensive work that you have carried out. We welcome the fact that you have now brought forward the new Toy Safety Directive. It is only one of many directives covered by this package of laws that we are putting through today and, as chair of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, I therefore want to ask you to address some of the key future issues to enhance consumer confidence and to ensure consumer safety and awareness.
I have two products here today. One is a toy seal; one is an electric kettle. One has no CE mark and one has a CE mark, so the former is probably not covered by the Toy Safety Directive and the latter, we assume, is covered by the Electrical Equipment Directive. However, consumers are confused. They believe that this also means that this kettle is safe. It does not mean it is safe. It means it conforms to the Directive on electrical equipment, and that is why, today, we are putting to you three requests: to examine the concept of a supplementary marking to enhance consumer information on product safety, to carry out an in-depth study in order to clarify the feasibility, the possible benefits and the potential drawbacks for such a marking for all stakeholders, including business and consumers, and to examine the possibilities for reinforcing the credibility of the CE marking through measures for stronger customs control inside and outside the European Union, to make sure we end the consumer confusion as regards the CE marking."@en1
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