APPLiA, on behalf of the home appliance industry in Europe, met Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market. According to the Association, the meeting set the stage for a fruitful discussion between the EU Institutions and the home appliance industry, providing the opportunity to properly stone a number of subjects towards squaring the circle of climate targets and industrial prosperity.
«The implementation of local initiatives and regulations at the national level risk creating barriers to the free movement of goods and undermine the very funding principle of the Single Market – said Peter Götz, APPLiA’s President and BSH Executive Vice President Europe -. These divergent rules should be discussed at the European level to avoid fragmentation on the market and allow the industry to adapt accordingly.»
Competition is another important aspect to the functioning of the Single Market. Indeed, the overriding motive to enjoy its membership lies in the economic advantage it eventually brings about. Nevertheless, it risks being downplayed by arising potentially harmful legislation within the EU. The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), a proposal from the EU Commission to impose a tax on carbon emitted by some materials coming into the EU, stands for one.
As a leader in sustainability, «the home appliance sector is committed to the achievement of the set EU decarbonisation targets – explained Paolo Falcioni, APPLiA Director General – but CBAM risks having unintended consequences. Coupled with the removal of ETS free allowances, this combination would inevitably translate into a competitive disadvantage for manufacturing in Europe. What is more, it would create an incentive for manufacturing outside of Europe and importing products to the EU generating a significant loss of European jobs and moving carbon leakage from the raw materials industry to other downstream industrial sectors.»
In this context, standardisation is a powerful and strategic tool for further improving a smooth and efficient policy-making. Creating a link between legislation and products, standards have succeeded over time in gaining consumers’ trust, while ensuring products safety and best possible performance. «While a lot has already been achieved, a key challenge remains that of a timely legal transposition into the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU)» highlighted Falcioni.
