Brussels, 08/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - On 6 November, the European Parliament's internal market and consumer protection committee (IMCO) unanimously supported two directives defining common EU rules for placing pyrotechnic articles and measuring instruments on the market. The MEPs called for the administrative formalities for economic operators to be reduced and for better monitoring of these products on the market. The MEPs also gave a mandate to their rapporteur, Zuzana Roithova (EPP, Czech Republic), to start discussions on nine “product” directives particularly concerning non-automatic weighing instruments, simple pressure recipients, lifts, explosives for civil use, and electrical equipment.
The IMCO committee MEPs have thus proposed modernising the current conformity procedures for products, allowing economic operators to submit - if they so wish - the statement of EU conformity not only in paper form but also electronically. They also propose increasing the monitoring of the electronic trade market by requiring all obligations imposed on the economic operators by these directives to be equally applied to distance sales. As far as consumer protection is concerned, proposals on making lifts and electrical equipment available on the market must draw particular attention to the safety of children, old people and the handicapped, the MEPs decided. They also call for clear labelling on products governed by these directives - labelling that can be read in an official EU member state language - when the article is available to consumers. (SP/transl.fl)