CAN YOU HELP US?SMART GRIDS AND SMART METERSWe are seeking a voluntary expert to: * provide us with technical expertise, represent our organisation and defend the consumer interests in smart meters standardisation - such as in the CEN-CENELEC-ETSI Coordination Group on Smart Grids (CG-SG). If you believe you could contribute to our work, please send a CV and letter of motivation (in English) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as soon as possible. We offer a daily allowance for participation in meetings, as well as reimbursement of costs where face-to-face participation is required (subject to the ANEC Guide on Reimbursement of Travel Expenses). For more information please see https://tinyurl.com/vf22xuru |
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ANEC General Assembly 2023
The first meeting of a new four-year term of the ANEC General Assembly was held in Brussels on 14 & 15 June 2023. It saw elections to the Office Bearer posts of the association, as well as to the Steering Committee (the board of ANEC). A special session brainstormed the ANEC contributions to the workstreams being created under the European Commission’s High-Level Forum on Standardisation, and closed with a virtual “poolside chat” during which Gwen Cozigou (Director, EC DG GROW H) discussed standardisation and the consumer interest with the ANEC President, the Director-General and members.
The elections saw Dermott Jewell (Ireland) re-elected President for the term 2023 to 2027; Rusnė Juozapaitienė (Lithuania) elected Vice-President, and Olav Kasland (Norway) elected Treasurer. Further to the three Office Bearers, the following were elected to the Steering Committee: Libor Dupal (Czechia), Tiina Vyyryläinen (Finland), Giovanni Santovito (Italy), Grace Attard (Malta), Marijana Loncar-Velkova (North Macedonia), Zoran Nikolić (Serbia), and Jens Henriksson (Sweden).
During the first afternoon, a Report was given by the President including a presentation of the ANEC Annual Review 2022/2023 (https://t.co/F9j91bRuxA). His presentation led to the breakout session, “Which standardisation priorities for consumers?”, with members, ANEC WG Chairs and Secretariat team shaping the ANEC contribution to the HLFS workstreams.
The second day included a report on broader issues from the ANEC Secretariat. The accounts for 2022 were adopted, as was the budget for 2023. Recognising the very hot weather in Brussels, the meeting ended with a virtual “poolside chat” where Gwen Cozigou, Dermott Jewell and ANEC Director-General Stephen Russell reviewed the contribution of standards to 30 years of the Single Market; the Standardisation Strategy and High-Level Forum on Standardisation; the inclusiveness of CEN and CENELEC and ETSI and the interaction with ISO and IEC, and standards and consumer needs and expectations.
This - the 34th meeting of the General Assembly - was the first without the participation of Conchy Martín Rey from Spain. The last of the founding members of ANEC to retire, Conchy was also active in SECO, the predecessor to ANEC. She was ANEC Vice-President twice. At the final ANEC Steering Committee of the 2021 to 2023 term, held face-to-face in Brussels on 14 April, President Dermott Jewell presented Conchy with a gift card for a break in a Parador in recognition of her commitment to ANEC over almost 30 years.
The Steering Committee meeting was also the last for Marino Melissano of Italy, an ever-present in the General Assembly and Steering Committee for over a decade. Dermott gave Marino a gift card for Italian wine.
All in ANEC wish Conchy and Marino a long, healthy and happy retirement.
GPSR published
The new General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) was published in the OJEU on 23 May 2023. As Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety, it entered into force on 12 June 2023 and will enter into application on 13 December 2024. ANEC and BEUC again worked together successfully in helping shape the GPSR in the consumer interest.
The adopted text includes several good points, such as stronger safety criteria to assess which products are “safe”. This includes special mention of vulnerable groups such as children; gender safety aspects, and cybersecurity requirements. We have long advocated criteria for cybersecurity and child safety. The text also covers a clearer relationship between the safety assessment criteria, the presumption of safety and the role of standards. However, we find the rules on the role of online platforms in product safety to be unsatisfactory.
EP adopts report on Standardisation Strategy
ANEC was pleased to see the approval by the European Parliament (EP) Plenary of the IMCO Own Initiative Report on a Standardisation Strategy for the Single Market. The report can be found at https://tinyurl.com/46nwj92h.
The Report calls for more inclusiveness in the European Standardisation System, especially at the national level, with linked financial support. It says the European Commission (EC) should take into account the EP opinion in the evaluation of the Regulation (EU) 1025/2012 - the Standardisation Regulation - which will start later this year.
ANEC engaged several times with Parliamentarians during the drafting of the report to ensure the consumer point of view was taken into account. For more information, see our previous newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/yxmmc2f.
ANEC Annual Review 2022/2023
As reported above, the General Assembly meeting welcomed a new-look format of the Annual Review as a a record of the activities and successes of the association. See www.tinyurl.com/bdzzfmpe.
In short, during 2022, ANEC participated in 683 meetings and sent no fewer than 456 sets of written comments on draft standards, as well as 52 Opinions to CEN-CENELEC on European standards under vote.
In complimenting what he considered an excellent Annual Review, ANEC President Dermott Jewell noted, “how European standards bring benefits to both the consumer and to business, and how they determine the level of trust that consumers have in the quality, efficiency and safety of products and services”.
Child Safety
EU Decision on safety requirements published
On 30 June, Commission Decision (EU) 2023/1338 was published in the OJEU on the safety requirements to be met by European standards for certain children’s products and related products. ANEC had been active in helping shape the decision in the consumer interest since December 2019. We strongly support the Decision which reflects the hazard-based approach to developing safety requirements, and welcome the identification of all relevant hazards. The Decision will be influential in the development of many of the standards that ANEC follows.
During a Public Consultation in August 2022, ANEC sent comments in order to ensure the text not only offers the fullest clarity to regulators and enforcement authorities, but also the highest levels of safety practicable to children. In this context, we asked to clarify the scope of the Decision, e.g. whether sports, playground and recreational equipment are covered or not; and whether car seats are included in relation to children’s products to facilitate transportation. Unfortunately, such clarification is missing from the adopted text and this could lead to different interpretations and discussions, including during the standardisation work.
Accessibility
ANEC supports SReq on lifts
ANEC welcomes the European Commission draft Standardisation Request (SReq) as regards lifts and safety components for lifts in support of Directive 2014/33/EU. It reflects many of our comments on accessibility and inclusiveness of the standardisation process in Annex II.
We believe it essential for the standards on lifts, that provide presumption of conformity to EU legislation, to consider the needs of all consumers, irrespective of age or ability. This is why we commented on the need to revise existing standards to take into account changes to the state-of-the-art.
The SReq is under approval by the EC Committee of Standards until 4 September 2023. ANEC, which is following the relative standardisation activities in CEN/TC 10, invited its members to support the SReq at the national level.
Domestic Appliances
Safe use of barbecues
In July, ANEC again took to social media to remind consumers about the risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning from the indoor use of barbecues.
Our one page leaflet ‘Be Safe This Summer!’, a joint initiative of ANEC, Consumer Safety International and LeanOnUs, aims to warn children and young adults of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning, and tells them never to use a barbecue grill/stove inside a tent/caravan.
The leaflet is now available in 10 languages: English, French, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Italian, Romanian, German, Arabic & Portuguese (https://bit.ly/3hXZmRG).
Domestic Appliances & Digital Society
New Machinery Regulation published
The new Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 was published in the OJEU on 29 June. It will apply from 42 months after its entry into force, thus giving companies time to adjust to the new requirements, and allowing the supporting standards to be drafted. ANEC was active in contributing to this revision of the former Machinery Directive.
The new Regulation covers issues such as digital documentation, now the default option (but the safety information has to be provided on paper as advocated by ANEC); the third-party certification of added categories of machinery, including AI Machines; and the possibility to update the text to reflect the frequency of accidents, all in line with our position.
We were not successful in having amusement park equipment included in the scope. As a result, there is still no legal European framework for fairground and amusement park equipment and machinery. Over the years, the concept and the design of this equipment has changed into delivering bigger, more exiting but also more hazardous attractions. Millions of consumers make use of these amusements and very serious accidents continue to happen. Nevertheless, e-bikes were included under the scope as we had advocated.
Domestic Appliances & Accessibility
ANEC Technical Study on IEC 60335-2-9
At EU level, there are ongoing concerns expressed by certain Member States that the surface temperature limits are too high in the standard, EN IEC 60335-2-9 ‘Household and similar electrical appliances - Safety - Part 2-9: Particular requirements for grills, toasters and similar portable cooking appliances’. At the IEC level, there have been challenges raised by stakeholders on the blanket use of a doubling temperature relaxation (widely referred to as “note b” by standards developers). As a result, ANEC commissioned a Technical Study towards the end of 2022 to measure temperature limits of appliances within the scope of IEC 60335-2-9 in order contribute to the debates in CENELEC and IEC.
The report of the research provided thermal (IR) images of 10 small electrical cooking appliances falling under the scope of the standard. The images should be considered as neutral, independent data to help solve the current challenges on surface temperature limits in IEC 60335-2-9.
In June, the ANEC Technical Study was distributed to the European Commission, the Low Voltage Directive Working Party (LVD-WP), the LVD-ADCO and CENELEC TC 61 ‘Safety of household and similar electrical appliances’.
ANEC was invited by the EC to present the findings of the study during the online EC LVD-WP meeting in June. Our independent research was welcomed by stakeholders and highly appreciated by the Commission.
ANEC will host a face-to-face workshop for stakeholders in Brussels on 20 September (in conjunction with the next CENELEC TC 61 plenary meeting). The samples will be on display and manufacturers will be able to explain how Part 2-9 is applied. We hope our initiatives will help find a solution to the present discussions.
Sustainability
Consumer expectations from revision of EU packaging rules
ANEC has had several occasions over the past weeks to present its views on the revision of the EU packaging and packaging waste rules, as put forward in our Position Paper of March (https://www.tinyurl.com/ANEC-PPWR).
At the EP IMCO meeting of 23 May, we shared our assessment of the IMCO draft opinion 2022/0396(COD) on the ENVI report about the Proposal for a Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWR). Michela Vuerich explained the correlation between the opinion an our demands for strengthened consumer protection, legal certainty and the creation of an Expert Forum. We hope improvements can be made to the proposed Regulation to increase ambition and reflect the waste hierarchy; include restrictions for hazardous substances in line with the Chemicals Strategy; and to make reference to CLP regulation labelling requirements in Article 11.
Michela also presented our position at the Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) meeting “What we need to ensure the safety of food packaging” hosted by MEP Gallée at the European Parliament on 5 June (https://tinyurl.com/awv3te3b).
She gave (https://tinyurl.com/4cr3zzck) the ANEC perspective in a panel discussion that also displayed evidence on problems with chemical safety in Food Contact Materials, as well as highlighting good practices in reuse systems. More information can be found at https://tinyurl.com/422x8ec4.
Finally, ANEC Director-General Stephen Russell was a panellist at the EURACTIV Hybrid Conference "Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation - How can we make it work?” on 28 June. A recording can be found on YouTube (https://tinyurl.com/2er6rn9r).
Stephen recalled how consumer surveys from our members (https://tinyurl.com/nhca62kv) - and also a recent one conducted by BEUC (https://tinyurl.com/5b7dm5fv) - show consumers demand more sustainable packaging. He explained how ANEC finds the proposed PPWR a tool to achieve improvements in this sector, both for consumers and the environment.
He said it important for the PPWR requirements to raise their ambition in respecting the waste hierarchy - underlining the broad omission of the prevention of waste from the proposal - and to make sure reuse and recycling measures are convenient for consumers to adopt behavioural changes. This meant ensuring chemical safety of products in contact with food and drinks in sectoral legislation such as the PPWR, and not to rely on REACH alone. He noted the inadequacy of REACH in ensuring the exclusion of harmful chemicals from toys. Stephen ended by questioning whether Member States would commit resource to the Regulation and the oversight by the EC to inaction at the national level.
What’s needed for reliable environmental claims
At the end of June, we published an ANEC position paper on reliable environmental claims (https://tinyurl.com/2p9fpb4v). The publication follows an assessment by the ANEC Sustainability WG of the Proposal for a Directive on Substantiation of Green Claims. The paper shares our recommendations in response to the EC consultation on the Proposal for a Directive on Green Claims (https://tinyurl.com/92uha7u8) and is intended to inform the co-legislators.
We urge the EU institutions to adapt the approach in the current proposal to ensure the Directive:
- specifies the conditions of use of certain claims without leaving too much leeway for companies in the substantiation of green claims.
- while setting these conditions, binding rules need also take inspiration from the ISO 14020 series and turn their guidance into mandatory requirements for the claims under the scope of this Directive.
- prohibits environmental claims for products containing hazardous substances and does not postpone this requirement to a possible revision of the Directive.
- not only promotes the Ecolabel as a label of environmental excellence which we welcome, but refers to it as a benchmark so the Ecolabel can encourage the improvement of products on the market.
reaLIFEstandards - helping Europe achieve its climate and energy goals
ANEC has joined forces with ECOS, the Environmental Coalition on Standards, in a new project: reaLIFEstandards. Co-funded by the European Union's LIFE programme, the project will promote the role of environmental and consumer interests in many of the standards that underpin Europe’s clean energy transition – including those focusing on everyday products such as heat pumps, televisions, electronic displays, and washing machines.
Standardisation has the power to safeguard the wellbeing of individuals and the environment. It is essential the standards are fit for purpose in implementing the EU ecodesign and energy labelling regulations, which govern the sustainable design and performance of numerous products and contribute to energy savings. ANEC and ECOS have worked on ecodesign and energy labelling standards for a decade. The reaLIFEstandards project will reinforce our work in these areas and enable us to reinforce a much-needed civil society perspective in the industry-led standardisation process.
Together, we aim to realise the clean energy transition, so reducing costs for consumers, stimulating innovation by manufacturers, and fulfilling the EU’s social and economic objectives.
Find out more about the reaLIFEstandards project on the ANEC and ECOS websites, as well as the project’s own website: https://ecostandard.org/realifestandards/.
Chemicals
Recycled content in plastics
In early June, we released an ANEC position paper in response to the consultation on EU rules for calculating, verifying and reporting on recycled plastic content for single-use plastic beverages (https://tinyurl.com/ANECrecycontent). The paper sets out that minimum recycled content requirements for plastic packaging need to be aligned with the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, and combined with objectives to minimise and phase out hazardous substances.
In July, we joined ZWE and numerous other CSOs in a Joint Statement calling for a transparent and reliable policy framework to define recycled content in plastic (https://tinyurl.com/4ubkfwzp). The Statement asks to “reflect the following principles in the final implementing act:
- Use proportional allocation to evenly allocate the recycled content to output products when using mass balance (instead of allocating it arbitrarily);
- Use ‘batch level’ mass balance to determine recycled content, so that it is clear how much recycled material is in the final product;
- Implement regulation to ensure that mechanical remains the primary recycling option for maximum CO2 reduction, circularity score and highest environmental compatibility.”
Ecodesign
EP adopts report on ESPR
On 14 July, the EP plenary agreed a negotiating position on the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) by adopting the EP report incorporating the amendments agreed by the ENVI committee. MEPs call for a ban on premature obsolescence through design, lack of software updates or lack of spare parts. MEPs also voted in favour of banning the destruction of unsold goods and agreed on the introduction of the planned digital product passport.
In line with what was sought by ANEC and BEUC (https://tinyurl.com/4hbssmv2) the EP also reinforced market surveillance rules, introducing mandatory checks for products that are likely not to comply with EU standards. A downside is the weakening of EC efforts to address online marketplaces.
Digital Society
ANEC meets young Parliamentarians
Chiara Giovannini, ANEC Deputy Director-General, spoke to the EU40 - the network of young Parliamentarians - about the common charger. The event was held at the EP on 25 April 2023 and followed the kind invitation of MEP Alex Agius Saliba.
Chiara pointed out that the trend of buying a charger as part of every mobile product offering needed to be reversed as it had created an enormous number of obsolete or redundant chargers.
Having campaigned for over a decade for a common charger, ANEC had welcomed the EC proposal for an Amendment to the Radio Equipment Directive (Directive 2014/53/EU) to accommodate common chargers. We were equally welcoming of the agreement of the co-legislators to the proposal. She praised the commitment of EP and the Council to the legislative process, adding that ANEC felt proud of the results, especially as the legislation foresees updates as technology evolves. She stressed that ANEC supports the standard needed to underpin the new legislation and the development of a standard for wireless chargers. She hoped a SReq for the wireless charger would be issued as soon as possible so as to avoid market fragmentation.
Moving to market surveillance, Chiara told the Parliamentarians of the need for Member States to increase market surveillance, especially noting the vast number of unsafe chargers now on the market.
ANEC Vice-President appointed to ENISA Advisory Group
We are delighted to learn of the appointment of Rusné Juozapaitiené - ANEC Vice-President, Lithuanian member of the ANEC General Assembly, and ANEC Digital Society WG expert on cybersecurity - as an ‘ad personam’ member of the ENISA Advisory Group for the period 2023-2025.
The ENISA Management Board adopted the appointment by MB Decision No MB/2023/05 which is publicly available on the ENISA webpage (https://tinyurl.com/fn9a7nws).
ENISA is dedicated to achieving a high common-level of cybersecurity across the EU. It gathers and provides independent, high-quality technical advice and assistance to Member States and EU bodies on cybersecurity, and supports the development and implementation of EU cyber policies. Set up in 2020, the Advisory Group is a multi-disciplinary group of experts set-up to advise ENISA on the accomplishment of its tasks, and specifically, advising on the drafting of ENISA’s annual work programme, engaging with stakeholders on matters related to the programme, and contributing to a more cyber-secure Europe.
Study on the role of standards in EU digital policy legislation
Digital policy legislation now being drawn up at the EU level, such as the AI Act - the first attempt worldwide to regulate AI systems specifically - will rely heavily on technical standards for its implementation. Consumers’ protection of their privacy, autonomy and dignity will depend on standardisation, and how European Standardisation Organisations (ESOs) interpret and implement legal concepts related to fundamental rights. This raises serious concerns among civil society representatives, given that the ESOs do not have the necessary institutional, procedural, and substantive governance structure to address the related questions, such as the definition of an unwanted bias in AI-system decisions.
A new legal study by Professor Hans Micklitz (EUI), commissioned by BEUC & ANEC, provides a pathway to reform the process through which harmonised technical standards are developed, and the way standardisation bodies work so they are better able to address these challenges.
The study stresses it is key to draw a line between what must be done by EU legislation and what can be delegated to standardisation bodies. Regardless, standardisation must better involve representatives of civil society and not be driven by private, for-profit interests alone.
Among the studies’ suggestions is the elaboration of a ‘Standardisation Governance Act’, that would include expanding the present bilateral partnership between the EC and the ESOs to a trilateral relationship also involving civil society.
ANEC and BEUC will use the findings of the study to help inform their responses in the review of Regulation (EU) 1025/2012, as well as in their leadership of the High-Level Forum on Standardisation workstream on fundamental rights and standardisation.
The study can be found at https://tinyurl.com/5n6rs5ap.
Services
Joining forces on European fire safety
In June, ANEC joined a group of organisations committed to improving fire safety in Europe. Under the lead of the European Fire Safety Alliance, we sent a letter to EC Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans, Vice President Vestager and Commissioners Simson, Breton, Ferreira and Lenarčič, urging the establishment of a structural coordination of all EU initiatives related to fire safety in European buildings (https://tinyurl.com/mr5ejwzv).
We argue that, although fire safety is a national responsibility, it is influenced by various EU policies and initiatives, particularly those that are part of the EU Green Deal. We emphasise the seriousness of fire safety challenges, citing an estimated annual death toll of over 5.000 people in residential fires, with the number of injuries being even higher. We highlight the need for coordination to ensure fire safety is adequately addressed, as well as supporting the energy transition. Our position notes the potential risks posed by new materials, technologies, and construction methods associated with the green and digital transitions, and the connection between fire safety and EU objectives such as the New European Bauhaus, energy poverty alleviation and protection of vulnerable consumers.
With our partners, we call on the EC to establish a holistic approach to fire safety, coordinating initiatives across different directorates, and integrating fire safety considerations into relevant policies and programmes.
Traffic & Mobility
ANEC Traffic & Mobility WG meets
The annual meeting of the ANEC Traffic & Mobility WG took place in the new ANEC offices in Brussels on 27 & 28 June.
Our experts discussed the latest developments, achievements and future opportunities for ANEC in the field of cycling, covering not only traditional cycles but also e-bikes, carrier cycles, child bicycle seats and helmets.
Our expert from VeiligheidNL enriched the discussion with a presentation of a study from 2022 on bicycle and light moped accidents in the Netherlands. The report from the study is available (in Dutch) on the VeiligheidNL website at https://tinyurl.com/2net734h.
Other fields of ANEC involvement received particular attention, such as the safety and emissions of road vehicles, including the developments related to intelligent transport systems and connected and automated vehicles, as well as electric and micro-mobility. Last but not least, the group discussed in detail the activities in UNECE centring on the protection of vehicle occupants, including the safe transportation of children in passenger cars and buses.
News from ANEC member countries
The Netherlands
Dutch Consumer Safety Institute launches “Safe Growing Up”
“Safe Growing Up” is a new approach in the field of preventing injuries to young children launched in The Netherlands in June 2023. The new approach (https://tinyurl.com/2t332nw4) helps parents monitor their child’s development and gives them advice on protecting and strengthening their child.
The initiative is important as the development of children is often faster than parents realise. The Dutch Consumer Safety Institute (VeiligheidNL) strives for an optimal balance between protecting and strengthening a child: “protect where necessary and strengthen where possible”. This not only minimises risks, but also teaches children how to assess risks themselves and protect themselves where needed. This balance is crucial for the healthy development of a child into an adult.
For more information and education tools, view this short video: https://tinyurl.com/yc79mhuk.
Sweden
Serious safety flaws in bouncy castles
The Swedish Consumer Agency conducted random visits this summer to assess the safety of bouncy castles at events across Sweden. It found significant safety flaws.
Bouncy castles have been associated with the highest number of reported accidents in the country over the past decade, including incidents where children fell from the walls of the structure, or when the power was unexpectedly cut so causing the bouncy castle to deflate rapidly.
Such accidents were attributed to incorrect construction, improper installation, lack of supervision, and inadequate shock-absorbing bases. The Consumer Agency highlighted the risk of serious injuries, and cited instances of fatalities in other countries where bouncy castles had blown away with people on them.
The recent inspections revealed flaws in safety measures at all the events examined, with some cases showing particularly severe deficiencies. The Agency emphasised the importance of adhering to safety procedures - such as proper anchoring - knowledge of safety protocols by staff, adequate free space, and shock-absorbing surfaces. This year's inspection followed up on previous findings which also identified numerous safety deficiencies and non-compliance with regulations.
The Agency plans to continue conducting random checks at events and facilities featuring bouncy castles. Companies failing to rectify issues may face penalties equivalent to ten percent of turnover.
The full report can be found at https://tinyurl.com/3866xh4f.
List of meetings 2023 |
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