Expert workshops on market surveillance

On the occasion of a series of events from 5 to 9 May 2014, representatives of the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China (AQSIQ), the German Central  Authority for Safety of the Länder (ZLS) and the local market surveillance authorities of the provinces Sichuan, Shenzhen and Guangdong discussed the basic aspects of the legislation and the execution of market surveillance in Germany and China.

In the workshops, which were held in Mianyang (Sichuan), Shenzhen, and Beijing, Mr. Joachim Geiß (Deputy Division Head, BMWi) informed about thecurrent progress of the negotiations for the European market surveillance and product safety. Mr. Hans-Georg Niedermeyer (ZLS) explained the basic aspects of the cooperation between federal government and states as well as states among themselves, and informed about the important role that the European market surveillance system ICSMS and the rapid alert system RAPEX have for the coordination of market surveillance authorities in Germany and Europe.

Chinese partners reported their difficulties in the coordination between the provincial market surveillance authorities and the central authorities in Beijing.

The workshops served as a follow-up to the first expert travel in October 2013. Important questions, which had been discussed at that time, could now be further clarified. Technical exchange in the project´s core topic was deepened and extended in further practical aspects.