MEPs on the European Parliament's Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) agreed on Monday 29 June as part of a debate over an own-initiative report on product safety in the single market, on the need to better control products sold online, especially products sold from non-Member States. The question over the precautionary principle with regard to new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) was also addressed.
For the text's rapporteur, Marion Walsmann (EPP, Germany), the same level of conformity must be guaranteed for harmonised and non-harmonised products within the internal market, as well as for those products sold in shops and online and, in more general terms, harmonisation between products manufactured within the European Union and in non-Member States.
Regarding the issue of online sales, the MEP wants to give platforms a greater share of responsibility in detecting certain non-compliant products, with the obligation being on them to check that products correspond to those identified by the EU Rapid Exchange of Information System (RAPEX) on dangers arising from the use of consumer products.
In addition, Ms Walsmann wants to tackle "new technology" products, primarily artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and the Internet of Things. There is a need to clarify definitions at the European level, particularly in respect of AI, by developing a risk scale, she said.
In her view, software compliance must be ensured not only at the time at which the software is released, but also every time it is updated, since this can have an impact on data security and the lifespan of a product. She also emphasised the importance of product traceability and, above all, the importance of ensuring product interoperability.
The rapporteur's proposals were favourably received by the shadow rapporteurs. The S&D and Greens/EFA insisted upon the need for a precautionary principle to prevail in respect of new technologies. Renew Europe highlighted the importance of not overburdening SMEs with layers of red tape, especially in light of the impact wrought by the pandemic. As for the GUE/NGL, they warned about the tendency of some companies to evade responsibility precisely because of the impact of the pandemic. In the opinion of the GUE/NGL, the fight against austerity measures, which have had an impact on the services of market surveillance authorities and customs services, must also be a priority.
A meeting of the shadow rapporteurs is to be held in September. The committee vote is scheduled for 27 October and the plenary vote scheduled for the second session in November. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)