European Parliament approves ''Made In'' proposal

01 February 2010

Last November the European Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution to introduce the compulsory labelling of the mark "Made In" to indicate the origin of goods imported into the European Union.

The obligation to indicate origin affects goods belonging to those sectors of European industry for which protection of the mark of origin is of fundamental importance: textile products, clothing, footwear, bags, jewellery, lamps, ceramics and furniture, all imported from countries outside Europe.

The aim of the compulsory system for indicating the country of origin is, obviously, that consumers will know the social, environmental and safety conditions of manufacture. It will also guarantee equal competitive conditions for commercial partners who already apply such a system.

Thanks to the resolution recently approved by the European Parliament, as well as the introduction on December 1 2009 of the Lisbon Treaty (which extends the decision-making powers of the Parliament on the subject of international trade), the original proposal of the European Commission on the subject of "Made In" (which has been at a standstill since 2005) has reached a turning point. The regulation could now be adopted within one year.