CHAPTER 1

The aim of this Regulation is to strengthen the functioning of the internal market by improving the free movement of goods. This Regulation lays down the rules and procedures to be followed by the competent authorities of a Member State when taking or intending to take a decision, as referred to in Article 2(1), which would hinder the free movement of a product lawfully marketed in another Member State and subject to Article 28 of the Treaty. It also provides for the establishment of Product Contact Points in the Member States to contribute to the achievement of the aim of this Regulation, as set out in paragraph 1. This Regulation shall apply to administrative decisions addressed to economic operators, whether taken or intended, on the basis of a technical rule as defined in paragraph 2, in respect of any product, including agricultural and fish products, lawfully marketed in another Member State, where the direct or indirect effect of that decision is any of the following: the prohibition of the placing on the market of that product or type of product; the modification or additional testing of that product or type of product before it can be placed or kept on the market; the withdrawal of that product or type of product from the market. For the purposes of point (b) of the first subparagraph, modification of the product or type of product shall mean any modification of one or more of the characteristics of a product or a type of product as listed in point (b)(i) of paragraph 2. For the purposes of this Regulation, a technical rule is any provision of a law, regulation or other administrative provision of a Member State: which is not the subject of harmonisation at Community level; and which prohibits the marketing of a product or type of product in the territory of that Member State or compliance with which is compulsory when a product or type of product is marketed in the territory of that Member State, and which lays down either: the characteristics required of that product or type of product, such as levels of quality, performance or safety, or dimensions, including the requirements applicable to the product or product type as regards the name under which it is sold, terminology, symbols, testing and test methods, packaging, marking or labelling; or any other requirement which is imposed on the product or type of product for the purposes of protecting consumers or the environment, and which affects the life-cycle of the product after it has been placed on the market, such as conditions of use, recycling, reuse or disposal, where such conditions can significantly influence the composition, nature or marketing of the product or type of product. This Regulation shall not apply to: decisions of a judicial nature taken by national courts or tribunals; decisions of a judicial nature taken by law enforcement authorities in the course of the investigation or prosecution of a criminal offence as regards the terminology, symbols or any material reference to unconstitutional or criminal organisations or offences of a racist or xenophobic nature. This Regulation shall not apply to systems or interoperability constituents falling within the scope of Directives 96/48/EC and 2001/16/EC. This Regulation shall not apply in the case of measures taken by the authorities of the Member States pursuant to: Article 8(1)(d) to (f) and Article 8(3) of Directive 2001/95/EC; Article 50(3)(a) and Article 54 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002; Article 54 of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004; Article 14 of Directive 2004/49/EC.

← preamble_4 · All articles · Article 1 →

Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-05 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.