The English version of the Blue Guide on the implementation of EU product legislation was adopted this month and can be found on the europa website.
The Guide covers all non-food and non-agricultural products for use by consumers or professionals.
As well as this document, offering guidance on the concepts of the New Legislative Framework and product legislation as a whole, there is also a wealth of product-specific information available.
But this is the main reference point for interpretation of such terms as “placed on the market” – a common deadline for implementing new requirements that is sometimes surprisingly slippery to grasp.
The aspiration of the Blue Guide is to explain the New Legislative Framework in detail and to help readers understand the system so that legislation is properly implemented and therefore effective. It also claims to support the European Commission’s better regulation policy in their avowed intention to develop legislation that is comprehensive, coherent and proportionate.
AMDEA has already received several queries about importers selling “own brand” products, which is perhaps not explained coherently enough. The new Low Voltage Directive is actually much clearer on the responsibilities of different economic operators so should be less reliant on explanatory guidance than its predecessor.