I Information and C Communication S System for M Market S Surveillance

1. IInformation and CCommunication SSystem for MMarket SSurveillance ICSMS - a cooperation between governmentand Industry dirk.vonlocquenghien@uvm.bwl.de peter.rost@siemens.com

2. Targets and current situation of Market Surveillance • Targets : • To ensure consumer protection and labour protection by identifying and excluding unsafe products from the market place • To avoid unfair competitive advantage created through unlawful practises • To meet the requirements of the New Approach Directives • Situation: • Market surveillance bodies are lacking the means to interact and exchange vital information quick and in-time • Current Market surveillance practices and notification procedures (RAPEX, Safeguard) are not efficient enough and work merely on a REGIONAL level • Consumers have no access to results of Market Surveillance activities.

3. Requirements to an effective Market Surveillance • To ensure fast, reasonable and crossboarder ACTION against unsafe products and their distributors • To provide quick and in-time INFORMATION on market surveillance measures conducted by other market surveillance bodies • To create a pan european Information and Communication NETWORK between the MS-inspectorates and with limited access for Consumers and Companies. • To develop a DATA BASE covering all and any unsafe products distributed throughout Europe including up-to-date information on product testing. • To improve the efficiency inco-operation with CUSTOMS authorities • To inform the PUBLICappropriately about unsafe products ( requirements of Art. 10, revised General Product Safety Directive)

4. ICSMS is driven by joint basic interests of the authorities and companies • to provide the consumer with safe products • to protect him from unsafe products. The ICSMS Project • ICSMS - a project • initiated in close co-operation between BELGIUM - SWEDEN – GERMANY • recently joined by AUSTRIA and LUXEMBOURG • supported by the EU-Commission and some 70 european Companies and Industry associations • ICSMS • is an Internet-based, combined public and restricted information and communication system for the safety of products. • supportsthe cooperation between authorities, suppliers and consumers. • provides information on the legal, organisational and technical aspects of product safety in Europe and indications of unsafe products.

5. Restricted Section • Product Information • Test results • Measures taken • ....... ICSMS- Content and structure Public Section • Faulty products – unless procedures are still pending • Voluntary recalls Market Surveillance Authorities Customs Distributor EU Commission Customers

6. Advantages of ICSMS • Faster identification of unsafe products and exclusion from the market place regardless of location. • Deterrence of „black sheep“among the manufacturers • Information on unsafe products will be announced immediately , appropriate measures may be taken • Improved consumer protection due to comprehensible and reliable information • Appropriateplatform for complaintsin accordance with the newly revised General Product Safety Directive • Avoiding redundant work: Test results by one surveillance authority will be immediately made available to all other Member States • Uniform operating language,adequate translation options will be provided • Templates of forms will be electronically accessibleand may be filled in and submitted on-line

7. Current status and progress • Data input commenced 02/2002 • Programming of modules, research, mailing system, Newsgroup 01- 04/ 2002 • Training of test participants/ ordering of hardware 03/2002 • Testing of entire system, PILOTPHASE 04- 09/ 2002 • Introduction of ICSMS in its first stage of extension Oct. 16, 2002 • Second Project Phase Oct 2002- 2004 • Testing an functional enlargement • Dissemination • Extension of ICSMS for the application to further Directives,

8. Statements and Conclusion • An effective market surveillance is imperative and serves everyone • Market surveillance is laid down in the New Approach Directives • Available information must be quickly accessible and usable: at local, regional, and global level • Both industry and Authorities have the same basic interests: safe products It is important that the “black sheep” are so impressed by the fast and comprehensive effectiveness of the system that they don’t even think about committing offences any more. It has to be made public that there’s no longer any fast money to be made by committing offences!

9. Contacts / Web-Site • Contact to Project Management: • Dirk von Locquenghien Ministerium für Umwelt und Verkehr, Baden-Württemberg • dirk.vonlocquenghien@uvm.bwl.de • Industry Contact: • Haimo Huhle, Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektronikindustrie (ZVEI) Abteilung Allgemeine Elektrotechnik • huhle@zvei.org • Peter Rost, SIEMENS AG Corporate Standardization & Regulation • peter.rost@siemens.com • WEB-Site:www.icsms.org