Apr 15 2014 – Parliament votes Wednesday on whether “made in” labels should be mandatory for goods sold on the EU market. It will also propose harsher penalties for firms selling potentially dangerous products. The proposals are included in two new draft laws beefing up product safety requirements and market surveillance rules to strengthen consumer protection in the EU.
“Made in” labelling will enhance the traceability of goods and thus strengthen consumer protection, say internal market MEPs, who back the Commission’s proposal for mandatory country-of-origin marking to replace the current voluntary system. Today, around 10% of goods picked up by the EU alert system RAPEX cannot be traced back to the manufacturer. Under the proposal, EU manufacturers would be able to choose whether to put “made in the EU” on the label or name their country. The committee also proposes to introduce a new voluntary “EU safety tested” label to show consumers that a product has been tested and found safe by an independent body. Furthermore, MEPs call for tougher penalties on firms placing non-compliant or potentially dangerous products on the market and the setting up of an EU-wide public blacklist of companies which are “repeatedly found to have intentionally breached” EU product safety rules.