On the 23 April, FEM reached out to DG GROW highlighting the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on the ongoing work on future legislation and regulatory files under revision, such as the Machinery Directive.
This Directive is key legislation for the Materials Handling Sector and as such FEM has expressed their strong recommendation for a review of the timing of the Machinery Directive’s revision process and possible postponement until 2021.
There are two deciding factors behind this request.
Firstly, the impact assessment undertaken in preparation for this revision should include the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. As it continues to affect the European machinery industry the potential impacts of the Directive’s revision must be assessed in this new context.
Secondly, we are now in a situation where demand has dropped dramatically, and production has greatly slowed if not completely come to a standstill, with no insight to when it will resume. For the foreseeable future, our companies’ efforts and resources will be entirely directed to ensuring recovery. Our industry will not be in a position to participate in the revision process in a comprehensive and meaningful manner.
A delay of the revision process of the Machinery Directive until 2021 will provide the necessary time for our industry to get back on its feet.
