SUPPORT FOR AN EU ORIGIN MARKING SCHEME

Today, the CE marking only signals that all essential requirements have been fulfilled when the product was manufactured. The CE marking is not a mark of origin, as it does not indicate that the product was manufactured in the European Union. Consequently, a product affixed with the CE marking may have been produced anywhere in the world. Given the crisis that the EU is going through, it may be worthwhile to restate the advantages that could be gained by having an EU origin marking scheme.

• An EU origin marking scheme would improve consumer information. There is increasing interest from consumers for information on the origin of the products that they purchase.
• An EU origin marking scheme would be an important tool to prevent or reduce consumer deception or deceptive practices.
• An EU origin marking scheme would be a tool to enhance market transparency.
• An EU origin marking scheme would eliminate the discrimination against European consumers in relation to third countries' consumers who are provided with this type of information.
• An EU origin marking scheme would imply harmoniosation of the original marking requirements within the internal market.
• An EU origin marking scheme would eliminate the legal vaccum in the area.
• The introduction of a 'Made in the EU' marking scheme would not imply significant costs. There would be no real difference in adding a 'Made in the EU' label to current national labels. The 'Made in the EU' label would co-exist alongside existing national marks.
• A 'Made in the EU' claim could develop into an important marketing tool considering that for the European consumer, EU products have a high quality reputation. It would enhance the perception of the internal market.
• A 'Made in the EU' mark could be a first step towards recognition of EU origin in third countries legislation. Apt present, absence of such recognition increases cost for EU exporters.

Control Aspects

• Control of false origin marking would be provided by the national administrations of every Member State with the same efficiency.
• An EU origin marking scheme would be a useful additional instrument against counterfeiting, origin fraud and unfair competition which is now a major problem affecting the viability of numerous key European manufacturing sectors, and creating unemployment and company failures.

Costs/Investment

• An EU origin marking scheme would equalize costs to European industry exporting towards third countries which require origin marking and foreign producers exporting to the EC market.
• Most EC products are already origin marked or labelled, while under EC rules the origin of products must in any case be known by the producer, so it should not represent supplementary costs.
• It would also equalize global competitiveness of European industries compared to those competitors producing at lower costs through social and environmental dumping.
• Manufacturing processes will return to Member States through the implementation of such an initiative beacuse of the incentive of the European origin mark: It would attract domestic and foreign investment. Manufacturers would find it worthwhile to produce inside the EU in order to obtain EU origin marking which would be an attractive marketing 'brand' tool.
• A single scheme would eliminate costs related to producing, stocking and distributing goods separately.
• Origin marking schemes are a common and more and more extended practice in the EC's main trading partners.

An EU origin marking scheme would involve more than the creation of a 'Made in the EU' origin mar: it basically would imply the development and application for imported goods and/or domestic production of a regulation on the issue at Community level.