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Parliamentary question - E-010575/2013Parliamentary question
E-010575/2013

Declaration of nominal organic daily load determined by means of a standard test: follow-up to Question E-003933/2013

Question for written answer E-010575-13
to the Commission
Rule 117
Sari Essayah (PPE)

In its reply to my Question E-003933/2013, the Commission states that CE mark data must be based on a test performed in accordance with the relevant standard, and that manufacturers must be able to justify their declarations by means of a standard test. However, according to the Finnish market surveillance authority, the most essential information supplied by a CE mark — the nominal organic daily load — is based on a declaration by the manufacturer and not on a standardised test. Moreover, the same authority states that it is impossible to monitor the correctness of the nominal organic daily load declared by the manufacturer, because no standard has been established for this.

If the standard requires a manufacturer to declare the nominal organic daily load of a plant (inter alia point 5 in the standard), can this declared value in a CE mark be greater than the organic load with which the plant was, however, in reality tested? If the declared nominal organic daily load is greater than tested, the CE marking gives the misleading impression that, even with a large load — the declared nominal load — the plant can achieve the same reductions as with the tested load. In reality, the reductions with a larger load cannot be the same as with the tested load, but will be smaller. The information about reductions supplied by the CE mark is therefore inaccurate as regards the nominal organic daily load declared, and it is not possible to draw accurate conclusions from the mark as a basis for planning.

Research in Finland shows that the reductions achieved with the nominal organic daily load declared by Finnish manufacturers are significantly different to the reductions achieved with the tested load, a fact which is liable to distort competition. This being the case, if the nominal organic daily load can be greater in a CE mark than tested, should the manufacturer who is responsible for the accuracy of the information be able to show by means of a test in accordance with the standard that the reductions achieved are correct even with the declared nominal value? How can the Commission monitor whether this actually happens if the Finnish market surveillance authority states that it is not possible to monitor this?

OJ C 197, 26/06/2014