26/11/2004
Import of EU products by China made easier

A conference dedicated to certification practice in China was held on 24 November in Brussels within the framework of the third plenary meeting of the EU-China Consultation Mechanism on Industrial products and WTO/TBT. The conference took stock of the practical application and implementation of the new Chinese certification system, reformed in August 2003 subsequent to the country’s entry into the WTO, and recognised that the reform has made the import of EU products by China significantly easier. It also examined specific elements of the system applicable to electro-mechanical products, automotive products and medical devices.

Günter Verheugen, Vice-President of the European Commission for Enterprise and Industry welcomed this exchange of views on the new certification system: “The China Compulsory Certification (CCC) system is one of the Commission´s trade priorities vis-à-vis China. It is an excellent practical example that demonstrates how our exports to China can be simplified and therefore fostered. However, the achievements so far should not distract us from making further efforts to improve the system.”

EU industry has reported that the procedure is very burdensome, expensive and time consuming and should be more transparent. Compliance with the CCC places a particularly heavy burden on SMEs.

The EU therefore pursues a twofold objective:

At the conference, Mr. Michel Ayral, Director, Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General, pointed out that the reformed certification system for industrial products entering the Chinese market has now been in operation for more than a year. “Although this was as such a significant improvement over the former certification system, there is still room for more transparency and simplification.” In the short to medium term, the EU believes that some of the more irritating hurdles encountered at present by the European industry when exporting to China need to be removed. One example is that double certification is required in some sectors in China, “which is something that should be avoided”.

There are two EU-China working groups on certification: Conformity Assessment and Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) on TBT issues.

Examples of such issues are EU-China co-operation on international harmonisation of technical regulation, standards and conformity assessment procedures as well as promotion, where appropriate, of equivalence of technical regulations and standards between themselves. Both China and the EU should promote whenever possible the acceptance of test results and related data in appropriate areas to reduce costs for businesses and to facilitate market access.