EVIA participates at INTAS Final Event
25/02/2019
EVIA participates at INTAS Final Event highlighting need for dedicated European market surveillance Task Force
Brussels, Belgium, 12 February 2019: On 12 February, the Vice-Chair of EVIA’s Fans Working Group, Karsten Witt, participated in a panel discussion during a conference bringing to a close the INTAS Project on market surveillance of large industrial products, including fans.
INTAS (Industrial and Tertiary Product Testing and Application of Standards) on the market surveillance of large industrial products, specifically large fans and transformers, was launched in 2016. The aim of the project was to identify options for ensuring the compliance of large industrial products with provisions of the Ecodesign Directive. The project sought to support Member State market surveillance authorities to check compliance, but also to help the industry to deliver compliant products, whilst also encouraging common European approaches to the delivery and verification of compliance activity.
INTAS published a set of recommendations in its final report insisting on the need to foster cooperation between national stakeholders, not only between market surveillance authorities but other key stakeholders involved in market surveillance. Commenting on the presentation of INTAS’s eight proposals, the European Commission highlighted that some of these recommendations have already been included in the revision of the Motor Regulation No 4/2014 at the request of Member States and it was suggested that some proposals could also be included in the revision of Regulation 327/2011.
Speaking alongside representatives of Member States market surveillance authorities and the European Commission’s policy officer on the revision of Regulation 327/2011, Mr. Witt stated that EVIA was particularly supportive of the recommendation to improve cooperation between MSAs and national customs authorities, with a view to tackling circumvention of the EU’s energy efficiency requirements by third country imports. “Setting up a dedicated European market surveillance Task Force for fans would address the key shortcomings of today’s market surveillance activities. There are a number of Pan-European industry associations that represent EU fan manufacturers like EVIA, which could participate in this forum to improve its effectiveness by providing valuable knowledge and experience to market surveillance stakeholders.”
Throughout the project EVIA has taken a positive and proactive approach to the cooperation with INTAS, in developing a guidance document for the market surveillance of fans under Regulation 327/2011. EVIA also submitted comments to the projects final draft report. EVIA’s Fans Working Group is continuing work to expand EVIA’s guidance document to assist with market surveillance with a view to ensuring that EVIA members are not unfairly penalised for compliance with energy efficiency requirements.
Please find the presentations delivered at the event here and the final report here.