CE-mark recognition a win for British consumers and economy
1 August 2023
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Economics
In the Media
Economic Theory
25 June 2024
Commenting on the UK government’s decision to continue recognising CE-marked products, Shanker Singham, International Trade and Competition Fellow at free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:
“The UK’s recognition of the CE mark will ensure British consumers can continue purchasing the likes of medical devices, household appliances and manufactured goods made for the EU market. This will deliver not only expanded consumer choice but also regulatory competition, encouraging greater efficiency, driving economic growth, and making all of us richer.
“Recently, the Chancellor announced that drug approvals from trusted agencies like the FDA in the US or the EMA in Europe would receive ‘near automatic sign off’, in effect giving manufacturers a choice of where to be approved, but not requiring UK approval. This is also an extremely positive step that one would hope other countries would replicate.
“It is to be hoped that this is the beginning of more mutual recognition, but crucially if countries do not agree, the UK can act by itself to unilaterally recognise trusted partners.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
In November 2022, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh called on the government to make recognition of the CE mark permanent and expand recognition to countries with similar regulatory standards like the United States, Australia, and Singapore.
In February 2022, the IEA’s Changing the rules: A unilateral approach to non-tariff barriers report highlighted the issues posed by the end of CE mark recognition and suggested that the government continue to recognise EU standards.
Contact: media@iea.org.uk / 07763 365520
The mission of the Institute of Economic Affairs is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems. The IEA is a registered educational charity and independent of all political parties.
“The UK’s recognition of the CE mark will ensure British consumers can continue purchasing the likes of medical devices, household appliances and manufactured goods made for the EU market. This will deliver not only expanded consumer choice but also regulatory competition, encouraging greater efficiency, driving economic growth, and making all of us richer.
“Recently, the Chancellor announced that drug approvals from trusted agencies like the FDA in the US or the EMA in Europe would receive ‘near automatic sign off’, in effect giving manufacturers a choice of where to be approved, but not requiring UK approval. This is also an extremely positive step that one would hope other countries would replicate.
“It is to be hoped that this is the beginning of more mutual recognition, but crucially if countries do not agree, the UK can act by itself to unilaterally recognise trusted partners.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
In November 2022, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh called on the government to make recognition of the CE mark permanent and expand recognition to countries with similar regulatory standards like the United States, Australia, and Singapore.
In February 2022, the IEA’s Changing the rules: A unilateral approach to non-tariff barriers report highlighted the issues posed by the end of CE mark recognition and suggested that the government continue to recognise EU standards.
Contact: media@iea.org.uk / 07763 365520
The mission of the Institute of Economic Affairs is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems. The IEA is a registered educational charity and independent of all political parties.
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