Trade - European electrical engineering companies face potential restrictive trade measure in Ontario, Canada

Published: 29 May 2009

Policies & Issues:

Orgalime is concerned about new restrictive trade measures in the field of electrical products in Ontario, Canada. The recent Product Safety Regulation 438/07 introduces the obligation for manufacturers to register with the Electrical Safety Authority if they intend to deliver electrical or electronic goods to Ontario.

This Regulation is not linked to any kind of safety approval of the products but is a mere register of company data which has to be paid by the companies initially and then subsequently by an annual renewal fee.  While the obligation of manufacturers to cooperate with and assist the authorities in case an unsafe product has to be recalled is not questioned, it cannot be accepted that, for unjustified reasons, administrative and financial burdens are put on manufacturers.  We also wish to draw attention to the high time pressure of this obligation that has already started on 1 April with a transitional period for manufacturers who already deliver products to Ontario ending on 30 August 2009.

All efforts should be taken to stop this measure at this early stage. We believe the European Commission understands that such so-called “security” measures need to be tackled in a systematic and determined manner, as the temptation for similar measures is currently high. The spread of similar measures could widely and rapidly affect the economic relations among key third country markets and EU exporters.