EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 88/186

(2004/C 88 E/0193)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0465/04

by José Ribeiro e Castro (UEN) to the Commission

(23 February 2004)

Subject: Establishing the ‘Made in EU’ label

Various recent media reports indicate that the Commission is preparing a proposal for a ‘Made in EU’ label, and the consequent abolition of national labels.

Their reports claim that the idea came from Italy, in response to the enormous harm suffered by the European textile industry as a result of imitations made in developing countries, but that it has now swelled to embrace the general problem of the labelling of all products manufactured within the Union.

Can the Commission answer the following:

— is there any truth in these reports?

— is the Commission going to put forward some proposal in this field, embodying this or other ideas?

— if the reports are correct, what does the Commission think are the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a ‘Made in EU’ label, to the detriment of nationally-based labels? What kind of studies did the Commission use to arrive at these findings on advantages and disadvantages?

— what are the forecast additional costs that such a measure would involve? Does the Commission not think that eliminating any reference to national origin in labelling could in fact prejudice the competitiveness of many European products, whose market edge is provided precisely by the fact that they come from a specific Member State?

Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(11 March 2004)

In the light of renewed interest shown by some industry sectors and Member States in the development of an EC regulation on origin marking, the Commission opted to prepare a working document submitted to the 133 Committee 19 December 2003 setting out the implications of such a scheme, in order to launch the debate (1).

The document indicates the options to be considered, in case it would be appropriate to change the status quo on this matter and implement an EC regime:

— the option of origin marking both for imports and domestic market products on a purely voluntary basis;

— the approach of a mixed system with a compulsory origin marking for imports and a voluntary scheme for domestic products;

— and the third option of a compulsory origin marking both for imports and for domestic products.

The paper also gives an overview on the pros and cons of an EC regulation on origin marking, namely, the improvement of consumer information, the reduction of consumer fraud and deceptive practices, the strengthening of the concept of European origin as a mark of quality, or the reinforcement of the visibility of the EC as a single market — which should be weighed against the potential additional costs for producers and administrations, practical difficulties in implementing such a scheme, the necessity and effectiveness of a new set of rules, etc.

The document does not specifically address the question of national origin marks (i.e. Made in Portugal) and it is worth underlining that no proposal has been made to question the continued use of them. It does not cover geographical indications (i.e. Made in the Algarve) more related to Intellectual Property Rights.

The Commission is not at this stage presenting any concrete proposals. It is for all interested parties at the national and EU level to determine their interests in the issue of developing an EC regulation on origin marking, including the value added of implementing a ‘made in the EU’ origin claim and, if they favour change, the nature and scope of any possible regulation.

The Commission has already contacted different representatives of the industry and consumers and is receiving their comments and suggestions. Member States have been invited to consult domestically on the subject.

(1) See http://trade-info.cec.eu.int/doclib/html/115557.htm