Brussels, 20/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 20 January, the European Parliament formally endorsed the three proposals for a regulation strengthening the safety of certain products.
These three regulations focus on the safety of personal protective equipment such as life jackets or bicycle helmets, gas appliances (such as portable cookers or boilers) and cableway installations (such as funiculars or aerial tramways) (see EUROPE 11394). On the other hand, washing-up gloves, certain sporting clothes and umbrellas were excluded from the scope of application for these legislative texts.
The President of the EP Internal Market Committee, Vicky Ford (ECR, United Kingdom) stated in an EP press release the day before, during the debate, that the amendments they were making to the regulations would help simplify and modernise 25 years of legislation, “In order to prevent fake, fraudulent or dangerous equipment from entering our markets”. These amendments introduce certain obligations incumbent on economic operators and the national authorities in charge of verifying respect for safety standards.
Manufacturers will also benefit from a simplified low cost procedure to renew EU-type examination certificates that comply with health and safety rules. In a press release, the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI) said that the simplified procedure will replace the comprehensive assessment that is currently compulsory every five years and will help obtain savings of up to €5,000 for each range of products. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)