The Netherlands, Finland, France, Portugal and Sweden sent a note to their colleagues on Friday 22 May on the future ‘European Product Act’, which the European Commission is due to publish this year.
In it, the five countries set out their priorities. These include making the European product legislation framework future-proof by focusing on alignment with related EU product legislation, enhancing consistency and introducing clear, uniform definitions. They also include enhancing the use of digital tools and cooperation.
“It is essential to identify opportunities to improve data exchange and make better use of digital tools — such as the Digital Product Passport (DPP) and the EU Customs Data Hub — and to enhance cooperation at the European level”, the note says.
There is also a need to further level the playing field in the single market. European companies “express severe concerns about the level playing field, especially due to the large inflow of products from third countries (e-commerce)”.
The ‘European Product Act’ will consist of a revision of the current legislative framework. It is expected to result in a European Product Package, including a European Product Act combining a revised New Legal Framework and Market Surveillance Regulation, and a revised Standardisation Regulation.
Among the obstacles to be addressed are outdated harmonised product rules and a lack of product compliance, and lengthy delays in standard-setting, which are holding back innovation and competitiveness.
Among other things, the note calls for the alignment of “the European product legislation as much as possible with recently updated product-related legislation, such as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, the Digital Services Act, and the new Union Customs Code”. The current European Standardisation System (ESS) must also be reviewed and improved in order to produce harmonised standards in a timely manner.
Link to the note: https://aeur.eu/f/m14 (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)