Follow-up of National Market Surveillance Plan for 2017
In accordance with Regulations (2014:1039) on Market Surveillance, the Market Surveillance Council draws up an annual national action plan. The plan contains multi-agency and horisontal activities aimed at more effective market surveillance.
During 2017, work has continued to provide information to start-ups and other companies that in many cases are not aware of the product legislation in force. Amongst other things, this has been achieved by producing several information brochures, participating in the “Start a Business” exhibition, and arranging “Your Product, Your Responsibility 2017”.
The more non-compliant products that can be stopped from being placed on the EU market the better. Limited experience and resources are, however, some of the factors that create obstacles to increased cooperation between Swedish Customs and the market surveillance authorities. The efforts to increase the cooperation will continue, including regular meetings in the Market Surveillance Council’s special Customs Forum, a review of the national cooperation model, as well as better planning of joint projects.
Cooperation and effective surveillance are compromised by unclear objectives, lack of clarity in the market surveillance responsibilities of the authorities, as well as variations in available powers and sanction mechanisms. The Market Surveillance Council’s authorities contributed in various ways to the governmental inquiry that was appointed to review these issues. The report, which was submitted in September 2017, contained a proposal for a new market surveillance law giving authorities greater and more uniform powers than is the case today. The proposal is for the law to enter into force on 1 January 2019. The investigation identified a further five Swedish market surveillance authorities and proposes a review of the number in order to concentrate the responsibility to fewer authorities. The investigation also highlights the need to clarify market surveillance responsibility in a number of areas where it is currently unclear and proposes that the cooperation between the authorities is facilitated by the introduction of confidentiality waiver rules for information exchange.
To be able to use the limited resources as efficiently as possible, a lot of work was carried out in 2017 to improve market analyses and the assessment of market surveillance conducted, as well as to improve information exchange between the EU’s market surveillance authorities.
The national market surveillance plan and its follow-up are complemented by sector specific plans and follow-ups drawn up by each market surveillance authority.
Read the follow-up of the national plan
Read the follow-ups of the sector specific plans (only in Swedish)