Foodlaw-Reading

Dr David Jukes, The University of Reading, UK

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Food Law News - EU - 2019

FDE News Item, 2 April 2019

FOOD LAW / MUTUAL RECOGNITION - FoodDrinkEurope welcomes new Regulation on Mutual Recognition

FoodDrinkEurope, representing Europe’s food and drink industry, has welcomed the publication of the new regulation on mutual recognition of goods lawfully marketed in another Member State in the EU Official Journal. FoodDrinkEurope believes that this regulation will strengthen the European Single Market across all Member States, acting to the benefit of industry and consumers alike.

This regulation will make it easier for the mutual recognition principle to be applied, allowing for a product lawfully marketed in any Member State to then be sold elsewhere in the Single Market, without undue difficulty. It will reduce the possibility for artificial barriers to trade to be erected, and will set out clear guidelines for all stakeholders should there be a disagreement related to the lawful marketing of a product. It also strengthens SOLVIT, the EU mechanism for dispute settlement, which offers an affordable service for business operators should they encounter difficulties in trading in the internal market.

FoodDrinkEurope wants to commend this dossier’s rapporteur Ivan Stefanec, and the shadow rapporteurs of the IMCO committee, along with the Council Presidency and the European Commission, who all worked diligently for this outcome.

Mutual recognition has been an integral element of the Single Market since the cassis de Dijon case, but it is developments such as this that will facilitate the application of this principle in future and continue to fortify the Single Market. In 2018, FoodDrinkEurope led the celebrations as the European Single Market marked its 25th anniversary. The strength of the Single Market is evident in kitchens and pantries across the EU, where European consumers enjoy the variety and taste of all European cuisines. The regulation on mutual recognition will make it even easier for Europeans to enjoy the food and drink they love, no matter where they are in the EU.

The food and drink sector is one of the biggest success stories of the Single Market – we are the largest manufacturing sector in the EU, with a turnover of over €1 trillion, and 75% of the food and drink we produce is destined for the Single Market itself. As we look forward to the next institutional mandate, one of our industry’s key priorities is to ensure that the importance of the Single Market is considered in future legislation across all the EU institutions.

To see the Regulation, see: REGULATION (EU) 2019/515 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 19 March 2019 on the mutual recognition of goods lawfully marketed in another Member State and repealing Regulation (EC) No 764/2008


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