Brussels hosted last 1-2 June the 45th meeting of TCAM and the 11th meeting of its working groups. Those meetings were chaired by the European Commission (EC) and attended by representatives of the member states, the Association of Notified Bodies, standardisation bodies and relevant organisations such as manufacturer associations and consumer representatives.
The following topics stand out among those considered at the meetings:
- Radio Equipment Directive (2014/53/EU – RED) – the EC reported that four countries had yet to transpose that directive;
- The RED Guide was published last 19 May. Several points remain open, specifically concerning combined products and products in the same package. They are being studied internally in the EC and will only be added to the guide when there is a consistent opinion. The EC also mentioned that the guide will not be translated into the different languages, given that it is constantly being updated;
- Vote on the implementing act under article 10 point 10 of the RED Directive – the obligation to report when there are restrictions on the entry into service of a certain radio equipment item already exists; the resolution concerns how that restriction should be indicated on the packaging. A pictogram which does not raise author’s rights was presented. The vote went forward and 24 member states, among them Portugal, voted in favour, with the United Kingdom abstaining. This act was approved and will now be published (an estimated period of one month is needed to finalise publication). The pictogram should start being used 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union; there is a 12-month transition period to safeguard manufacturer stock now ready for placement on the market;
- Regarding the request to extend the Directive’s transition period due to the lack of harmonised standards, the EC strongly rejected any postponement, noting that industry has to comply with current legislation and with existing harmonised standards or with mechanisms envisaged in the Directive, i.e. using the notified bodies.
The next meetings will be held on 30 November and 1 December 2017.
