European Commission Sues Estonia Over Medical Device Directive
Brussels, 24 June 2010. The European Commission has decided to refer Estonia to the EU’s Court of Justice for not implementing the revised Medical Devices Directive (2007/47/EC) within the deadline (December 21, 2008). A referral of the case has been decided today as Estonia failed to notify transposition measures as required by this Directive.
Directive 2007/47/EC enhances the criteria for the conformity assessment of medical devices and strengthens the procedures for such assessment. The Directive aims on the one hand to ensure a high level of protection of human health and safety and on the other hand to ensure that medical devices can circulate freely throughout the Single Market (thereby offering manufacturers economies of scale and users greater choice). Member States were obliged to notify the Commission of measures taken to implement Directive 2007/47/EC by December 21, 2008, but Estonia has so far failed to do so.
Source: European Commission
EU crackdown on websites selling consumer electronic goods
EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva today announced the results of an EU-wide investigation – involving 26 Member States and Norway and Iceland – into misleading advertising and unfair practices on websites selling consumer electronic goods. The clampdown covered 369 websites selling six of the most popular electronic goods to consumers in the EU – digital cameras, mobile phones, personal music players, DVD players, computer equipment and game consoles. It covered 200 of the biggest websites selling electronic equipment in the EU as well as more than 100 websites which were targeted on the basis of consumer complaints. The results of the checks carried out in May this year show that 55% of the websites investigated showed irregularities in particular relating to: misleading information about consumer rights; misleading information about the total cost of the product; or incomplete contact details for the trader. The initial checks by national authorities will now be followed by an enforcement phase when companies are contacted by national authorities and required to correct their websites or clarify their position. At this first stage, three countries – Iceland, Latvia and Norway – have published names of the websites covered by the investigation.
New lists of harmonized standards for EMC, low voltage equipment, gas appliances and PPE
Manufacturers of CE marked electronics, electrical equipment, gas appliances and personal protective equipment better check the new lists of European harmonized standards that the European Commission published. The standards that they have used may have been superseded by new standards.
EU and China to hold high-level economic and trade talks
The European Commission and the Chinese government continue their close working relationship with high-level economic and trade talks in Brussels. EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton and Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Qishan will chair the second meeting of the High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue (HED). A further eight EU Commissioners and a total of 12 Chinese ministers or vice-ministers are set to participate in far-reaching talks aimed at strengthening the trade and investment relationship in order to speed recovery in the current economic crisis.
EU-Canada Summit to launch negotiations for a new economic and free trade agreement
This year’s EU-Canada summit will take place in Prague on 6 May. The EU will be represented by European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and the Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek in his role as EU President in Office. Canada will be represented by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The Summit agenda will cover a range of issues starting from a follow-up to the recent G-20 meeting in London to an array of bilateral topics, such as the marking of the EU-Canada Air Transport Agreement and the EU-Canada Air Safety Agreement. The centrepiece of this year’s summit is the EU-Canada economic partnership as it will see the launch of negotiations towards a new economic and free trade agreement. This agreement will go beyond current WTO commitments and will reinforce the already strong bilateral trade and investment relationship. Furthermore, leaders will express their commitment to building a low-carbon global economy while strengthening capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Other issues to be touched upon will include Afghanistan, where the EU and Canada are co-operating closely together to promote good governance and the rule of law.
Trade mark protection in the EU gets much cheaper and easier to obtain
The European Commission and EU Member States have decided to lower further the fees payable to the Community agency responsible for granting EU-wide trade mark rights, OHIM (Office for the Harmonization in the Internal Market, located in Alicante, Spain), and to simplify the registration procedure. This measure, which follows an initial reduction in 2005 (IP/05/1289), will make trade mark protection much cheaper and easier to obtain for businesses operating in the EU single market, saving them some €60 million a year. It will come into force on 1 May 2009.
European Commission adopts EU standard for baby walkers to prevent infant accidents
On January 13, a European safety standard for baby walkers, which will help to prevent many childhood accidents, has been published in the Official Journal, following its formal adoption by the European Commission. Hospital emergency data from both the EU and the US over the last 20 years consistently shows that baby walkers are a hazard, with thousands of infants treated for baby walker accidents every year. Research from Australia indicates that at least one in three children using baby walkers will be injured at some point. Further research from the UK’s Child Accident Prevention Trust estimates that more children are injured by baby walkers than by any other nursery product. Baby walker accidents, such as tipping over or falling down stairs, can be very serious, as in most cases they involve injuries to the head. The EU standard introduces a requirement for stability tests during the manufacture of baby walkers, and for the design to be geared towards reducing the risk of injuries. Member States backed the Commission’s proposal to introduce this standard at the General Product Safety Committee (GPSD) in November 2008 and the European Parliament has also welcomed the decision. The standard will provide all economic operators and market surveillance authorities will have a clear, quick and single reference for making, importing or checking baby walkers for safety.
New EU rules for safe toys for our children
The European Commission welcomes today’s adoption by the European Parliament of its proposal to substantially strengthen EU-rules on toy safety. It gives consumers assurance that toys sold in the EU fulfil the highest safety requirements world-wide, especially those relating to the use of chemical substances.
