On 28 May the Competitiveness Council discussed a compromise on the mandatory origin marking (OM) provision (art. 7) of the Consumer Product Safety Regulation (CPSR). While the Latvian Presidency of the Council put forward a compromise proposal restricting OM to footwear and ceramic tableware, several Members States restated their strong support for mandatory OM on five consumer goods sectors namely footwear, ceramics, textiles, jewellery and furniture. Commissioner Bieńkowska asked Member States not to further delay the adoption of the CPSR but the talks might continue under the Luxembourg Presidency.

This meeting came on the heels of a discussion at technical level in the Council working group on 12 May. Attachés discussed the European Commission's technical study on the impact and benefits of origin marking  for selected consumer goods published in early May.

In the European Parliament, an S&D IMCO workshop on Product safety, traceability and origin is scheduled for 16 September in Brussels, a couple of weeks before the next Competitiveness Council.

Cerame-Unie supports mandatory origin marking for consumer goods. The cost of applying origin marking on consumer products such as ceramic tableware, ceramic wall and floor tiles and clay roofing tiles is very limited. Furthermore, as outlined in the Ceramic Industry Manifesto, origin marking would provide consumers with reliable and transparent information.