Revising product rules to boost one of EU’s greatest strengths: the EU Single Market
Wednesday, 9 September: How quickly new products reach the market, and how easily European companies can sell across borders, and even the products available to us in the first place are all governed by a set of rules that are central to the running of the European Union's Single Market.
At its simplest, strengthening the Single Market makes it easier for a company to make a product in one European country, then sell it throughout the EU.
Having these common rules in place should remove barriers between national markets, reduce unnecessary costs and give manufacturers access to a market of hundreds of millions of consumers.
For European industry, scale matters. The Single Market is a phenomenal asset for the EU. If used well, it can help our companies grow, invest, innovate and compete globally.
The EU is currently looking at how to modernise and simplify the rules that underpin the Single Market, from standardisation and conformity assessment to market surveillance and product compliance. Much of this work will feed into the forthcoming European Product Act, alongside broader efforts to simplify EU rules and reduce barriers for businesses operating across Europe.
We want to keep what works, while addressing gaps, making better use of digitalisation and strengthening enforcement.
It was on these elements that Orgalim offered flash briefings to almost twenty APAs and attachés last week, looking at some of the technical rules for the Single Market and what they mean in practice.
Hosted by MEP Nikola Minchev, the event broke attendees into four groups, who moved from booth to booth to hear concrete examples in four key areas:
- How companies demonstrate that products meet EU requirements;
- how harmonised standards help ensure products can be placed on markets across Europe;
- how compliance information could become more accessible through digital documentation; and
- how market surveillance helps keep unsafe products off the market while ensuring fair competition.
"These may sound like technical details, but they have very real consequences. For a manufacturer, clear and proportionate rules can mean less duplication, lower compliance costs and fewer obstacles when bringing a product to customers in another EU country.
For consumers meanwhile, effective rules help provide confidence that products are safe and meet the necessary requirements.
Feedback from participants at the Orgalim event stressed that the modular design of the briefings was enormously helpful for understanding the technical details of this complex package.
The European Product Act therefore offers an opportunity to look at whether the EU’s product framework is working as effectively as it could.
Getting this balance right matters. A strong Single Market is about removing barriers and creating the conditions for European businesses to compete, innovate and invest at scale.
The rules behind Europe’s products may be invisible to most people. However, getting them right can make a very visible difference to Europe’s economy and to the products people use every day.