BPMA Joins Other Trade Bodies at CE Mark Briefing
As part of its ongoing commitment to international standards and product certification, the British Pump Manufacturers Association was one of 16 trade organisations who attended a recent briefing at the Houses of Parliament.
The meeting was hosted by Neil Coyle MP, who was joined by several representatives from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and covered the important topic of CE Marking post Brexit.
Following a brief welcome and introduction by Neil Coyle, the agenda followed three primary items:
- Retaining the CE Mark Post Brexit
- A Potential UK Mark or Equivalent
- Conclusions and Follow-up Actions
Clearly any move way from the existing system of CE Marking for all products that are shipped throughout the single market is a huge undertaking, and so given its work on various standards committees and sub-committees within Europe over recent decades, the BPMA’s place at this meeting was seen to be both important and very much welcomed by all those in attendance.
The diversity of the industry sectors represented was extremely broad, covering such disparate areas as industrial trucks, giftware, heating and hot water, mineral products, educational supplies, toys and hobbies, building services as well and pumps and pump related equipment. Representatives from the British Standard Institute (BSI) and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) were also in attendance, further illustrating the importance placed on this issue.
Commenting on this meeting, BPMA Director & CEO, Steve Schofield said, “There are some crucially important issues affecting the UK’s manufacturing sector that need to be fully understood, and then borne in mind, when negotiating the final stages of Brexit; CE Marking is one such issue. I am pleased that through BEIS, the Government is at last seeking advice and input from industry. Events like this seek to do just that, and so I welcome the initiative. However, as things stand there is currently no alternative to the CE Mark for the UK if negotiations fail regarding the Customs Union with Europe, which is a major concern to all the sectors involved. None-the-less, the BPMA, along with its counterparts from other industries will continue to push for the best possible outcome on all the issues governing the movement of manufactured goods and materials in a post Brexit world”.
