The ESN Group’s proposal for a workshop on combatting misleading country-of-origin labelling has been approved today by the coordinators of the PETI Committee. Out of eleven submitted proposals, only five were accepted – including the ESN initiative. The workshop will focus on the growing problem of deceptive “Made in” claims on imported consumer products, especially from China, and the resulting disadvantages for European consumers and domestic industries.
MEP Marcin Sypniewski, on behalf of the ESN Group, stated: “Today’s decision is an important success for protecting European consumers and producers. More and more often, products with false or obscured origin labels enter our market – from strollers and footwear to food products such as honey. This not only harms small and medium-sized businesses in Europe, but also undermines citizens’ trust in fair labelling and product safety. It cannot be the case that European companies must comply with strict standards while cheap imported goods benefit from loopholes and weak enforcement. With this workshop, we are sending a clear signal: the EU must finally take misleading labelling practices seriously, close existing legal gaps and strengthen controls at our borders. Europe must no longer allow itself to be deceived by unfair competitors.”
