Brussels, 07/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - Two major dossiers for EU citizens as consumers of products and services will be key to mobilising the Latvian presidency of the Council of the EU. The extremely difficult regulatory package on product safety and market supervision and implementation of the directive on package tours and the provision of assisted travel services are needed to adapt the text to the digital era.
On both dossiers, the presidency will be working towards obtaining an agreement in the first reading. The general approach obtained in December at the Council on package tours and the provision of assisted travel tours (amending regulation 2006/2003 and directive/83/EC and abrogating directive 90/314/EEC) will enable trialogue negotiations to begin (EUROPE 11212).
Reaching an agreement at the Council to open negotiations on the February 2013 legislative package on product safety and market monitoring will be more difficult. The dossier is still at a standstill, despite the efforts made by the Lithuanian and Italian presidencies to overcome the divisions between member states on compulsory geographical markings of origin for consumer goods circulating in the internal market (the famous “Made in” article 7 of the draft regulation on product safety). Prospects for compulsory labelling mentioning the country of origin for non-food products is still not to the liking of certain countries in northern Europe, which believe this provision superfluous and detrimental to competitiveness because in their opinion it increases administrative costs to businesses. Some delegations from southern countries, on the contrary, consider that compulsory labelling of origin would help improve the traceability of products and consumer information.
The Italian presidency did its best to push this dossier forward by continuing discussions with Germany but this proved fruitless. The European Commission confirmed on 4 December 2014, during the most recent Competitiveness Council, that it would present more information at the beginning of the year on the costs and benefits of such a provision. The two draft regulations seek to increase the safety of all consumer and non-food products circulating in the single market and enhance market monitoring. It should be pointed out that the European Parliament has given the go-ahead to opening trialogue negotiations. (AN)