Omnibus Directive and Regulation Aligning product legislation with the digital age – Omnibus IV
SBS submitted comments on the adoption of the Omnibus IV package. SBS strongly supports a shift towards the digitalisation of the Single Market that reflects the needs and specificities of SMEs and microenterprises. In the comments SBS lists concrete measures should be put in place to ensure an inclusive a gradual transition towards a full digitalisation of the Single Market.
SBS also reiterates its stance on the European Commission proposal to adopt common specifications as a possible alternative to harmonised standards to provide compliance with European legislation. SBS understands the need for a fall-back option when harmonised standards are not made available by the ESOs. However, the Commission proposal still fails to fully address some main areas of concern for SBS, namely:
- The lack of guarantees in terms of inclusiveness and participation of the Comitology procedure for the approval of implementing acts, compared to the well-established processes set out in Regulation 1025/2012;
- Insufficient clarity on the mechanism and transparency for the gathering of input by stakeholders in the development of the specifications;
- Lack of clarity on the criteria to trigger the process of development of common specifications.
In the comments SBS also reiterates the need to preserve the primacy of stakeholder-driven harmonised standards over other alternative measures.
Read the full SBS reaction to the adoption of the Omnibus IV package below: