The European Parliament rapporteur on the Regulation on machinery and equipment, Ivan Štefanec (EPP, Slovak), reported on good technical progress with the EU Council, on an item in the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) on Thursday 8 September.
The rapporteur indicated that the negotiations were taking place in a generally “good” atmosphere, stressing that there had so far been only one interinstitutional meeting, on 12 July, shortly after the EU Council had adopted its position (see EUROPE 12979/12). The talks focus on the issue of Annex I, which lists high-risk machinery and products and empowers the European Commission to adopt delegated acts.
The discussions also focus on the issue of artificial intelligence (AI) and how to integrate the challenges related to this technology into the specificities of the sector. On the issue of technical specifications by implementing acts by the European Commission, the rapporteur stressed the importance of this being done only in exceptional circumstances. In any case, these technical specifications must disappear as soon as there are harmonised standards that are published.
As for the environmental dimension, the rapporteur has highlighted the need to give manufacturers time to adapt.
The next interinstitutional meeting is scheduled for either the end of September or the beginning of October, a source told us. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)