Confindustria Ceramica

Franco Manfredini18   Gennaio   2013

The Made In dossier

Confindustria Ceramica approves the proposal to introduce mandatory origin marking into Community legislation: a “cultural battle” for European citizens and businesses

The European Parliament, an institution whose members are elected directly by the European people, has overwhelmingly approved a joint resolution tabled by five parliamentary groups in favour of reintroducing onto the European Commission’s agenda the ‘made in’ dossier regarding the mandatory nature of the indication of origin of goods introduced to the community market.  


Confindustria Ceramica thanked Cristiana Muscardini, regulation rapporteur and vice president of the Committee on International Trade, along with Gianluca Susta and Niccolò Rinaldi, and stressed the importance of a measure that aims to align Europe with its major international competitors, including the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Japan.


This measure will also enable European consumers to make informed choices based on an awareness of the origin of goods, a major factor in any purchasing decision.


The measure is particularly important for characteristically Italian products such as tiles, which in Europe and elsewhere are being hit by competition from products with Italian-sounding names that are in fact made in other countries.


Products that are made in the European Union and consequently have to meet strict European environmental and workplace safety standards are being adversely affected by the shocking lack of clarity of European legislation on the origin of goods.


It is to be hoped that the clear and repeatedly expressed wishes of the European Parliament will be taken into account by the European Commission and Council and will lead to the adoption of Europe-wide legislation within the shortest possible time. If enacted at a European level, this essential legislation could further reinforce the Ceramics of Italy mark, which is reserved by the Italian ceramic industry for products manufactured within Italy.
 
“The attitude of certain European governments, who continue to hinder the adoption of a law on the mandatory use of an indication of origin of goods within the EU, is truly incomprehensible,” said Confindustria Ceramica’s chairman Franco Manfredini. “Origin marking equates with the traceability of goods from the place of production or manufacture and is a prerequisite for guaranteeing greater safety for consumers and for any assessment of the product’s green characteristics. The alleged incompatibility with WTO rules is clearly groundless.”

 

NOTE OF 13Th FEBRUARY 2013

Major progress has been made towards obligatory ‘made in’ marking on products consumed in Europe. The proposal by European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani to incorporate specific provisions concerning mandatory origin marking into the draft regulation on product safety represents an effective new approach that strengthens consumer protection and market transparency. This important step forward was praised by Confindustria Ceramica, which has always considered the regulation crucial for consumer protection.

The importance of this new approach lies in the fact that the proposal for mandatory origin marking has been incorporated into a system of standards on product safety, an area of legislation viewed as especially important by European citizens. “For such a highly developed continent, it is a major priority to ensure that consumers are able to make informed purchasing decisions based on a knowledge of products and their specific characteristics,” noted Franco Manfredini, Chairman of Confindustria Ceramica. “First and foremost this is a cultural battle, a pursuit of regulatory consistency on the part of the European Union which applies to its companies the highest environmental and safety standards in the world.”

Although the issue of origin marking has been on the agenda of community institutions since 2005, in recent weeks the European Commission took the decision to withdraw the proposal. Prompted by MEPs Cristiana Muscardini, Gianluca Susta and Niccolò Rinaldi, the European Parliament subsequently confirmed its previous position by voting by a large majority to return the proposal to the agenda.

Confindustria Ceramica hopes that the codecision process will be able to proceed without further obstacles to arrive at a rapid approval of the regulation.