By European Commission
Press release
Brussels, 31 January 2012
Commission consults on gaps in the internal market for industrial products
The EU aims to allow free circulation of all products throughout the EU - the Single Market concept - but complaints from producers and distributors to the European Commission show that blockages in the trade of industrial products still exist. In order to address this issue, the Commission is working to identify and eliminate any gaps in the Single Market legislation, in particular if there are any obstacles to the trade of new products and new technologies, such as key enabling technologies or 3-D printing. Today the Commission therefore launched a consultation process which asks business and interested parties to inform the Commission about regulatory issues they encounter while trading industrial products within the EU. This public consultation is open to a wide stakeholder audience and the deadline for submissions is 17 April 2013.
European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, said: "If we want the single market to help bring industry back to Europe and benefit all stakeholders, we need to make sure that the rules for marketing products are up to date with 21st century developments. A functioning internal market helps business sell their products abroad. I call on businesses to share their concerns with us, to help us abolish all barriers hindering the free trade of industrial goods."
