The fourth interinstitutional meeting (trilogue) on the Regulation on compliance with and enforcement of Union harmonisation legislation on products, on Wednesday 30 January, did not allow a spectacular breakthrough in the negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council.
The points of opposition between the co-legislators remains essentially the same as in previous meetings (see EUROPE 12175), starting with the issue of peer review to help market surveillance authorities ensure the harmonised enforcement of Union legislation. The European Parliament would like this review to be mandatory, while the Council, on the contrary, prefers a voluntary one.
Similarly, the co-legislators would oppose the type of act that the European Commission would use to ensure consistent enforcement of Union harmonisation legislation on products entering the internal market. The Council is in favour of an enforcement act, an act over which the European Parliament has no control. MEPs, on the other hand, are in favour of a delegated act, in order to have possible influence.
The third difficulty concerns the coverage by the regulation of counterfeit products, which is what the European Parliament wants. This would be an extension of the scope of the Regulation that the Council would not welcome, considering that other instruments already exist to combat this phenomenon.
The next interinstitutional meeting is scheduled for 7 February. This should be the final trilogue to reach an agreement, but some fear that this will not be the case, given the persistent blockages. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)