Thursday 20 June 2013


How to Check a CE Mark

Most manufactured products that are made in, or imported to, the European Union must be CE marked. According to the Conformance website, this mark indicates that the item has been checked and it meets the standards of the CE-marking directives, set by the EU. This process effectively permits manufacturers and importers identical access to every EU country. It also standardizes safety and other regulations for all products that are sold there. Checking the CE mark on any item is a straightforward procedure.

Instructions:

Look on the item for the CE mark. It is almost always located on the bottom of the article. According to the Wellkang Tech Consulting website, the logo is made up of a rounded letter "C" and a rounded letter "E," located beside one another. The mark must be at least 5 mm high. The presence of the logo means that the item conforms to EU standards. However, there are a few instances when the manufacturer or importer is not required to place the logo on a particular article. If you cannot find the CE mark, there are other ways to check.

Check the instruction booklet or any other printed material that came with the item. According to the Conformance website, the CE mark may be here. In cases where the logo cannot be placed directly on an item, it must be located on these materials. However, in some cases there are no accompanying printed materials. If this is the case, there is another place where the CE mark might be found.

Examine the packaging that the item came in. The Conformance website states that the CE mark may be there. If the mark is not in any of the three places you have checked, you can assume that the article has not received EU approval and it may not legally be sold in any EU country.

Friday 7 June 2013

Fight against illicit drugs: EU signs new agreement with Russia

Fight against illicit drugs: EU signs new agreement with Russia

The EU & Russia have completed signature of a new cooperation agreement on the control of the drug precursors, at the Eu- Russia summit in Yekaterinburg.


“Customs has the dual responsibility of keeping our society safe, while facilitating trade for legitimate businesses. Controlling drug precursors is a prime example of how this is applied. For international threats, like narcotics trafficking, international cooperation is the best defence. Therefore, I warmly welcome today's EU-Russia agreement to work hand-in-hand in preventing drug precursors from being used to make illegal drugs.
The agreement was signed earlier on behalf of the EU by the Irish Presidency of the Council in Brussels and at the Summit by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission Catherine Ashton, while Director of the Federal Narcotics Service Viktor Ivanov signed for the Russian Federation.
The agreement will strengthen co-operation between the EU and Russia in preventing drug precursors from being trafficked for the manufacture of illegal drugs. It will enable competent authorities to exchange more practical, technical and scientific information on these chemicals, and to ensure that they are only used for legitimate purposes.
The EU already has 11 such agreements with other third countries.
Algirdas Ĺ emeta, Commissioner responsible for Customs, said: "Customs has the dual responsibility of keeping our society safe, while facilitating trade for legitimate businesses. Controlling drug precursors is a prime example of how this is applied. For international threats, like narcotics trafficking, international cooperation is the best defence. Therefore, I warmly welcome today's EU-Russia agreement to work hand-in-hand in preventing drug precursors from being used to make illegal drugs."
Background
Drug precursors are chemicals that are primarily used for the legitimate production of a wide range of products such as pharmaceuticals, perfumes, plastics, and cosmetics. However, they can also be misused for the production of illicit drugs such as methamphetamines, heroin or cocaine.
The EU has already concluded bilateral agreements on drug precursors with Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, United States, Chile, Turkey and China. These agreements provide for co-operation in trade monitoring and mutual administrative assistance (exchange of information).
The agreement fits in the wider framework of the 1988 United Nations Convention on Narcotic Drugs to which both the EU and the Russian Federation are parties.
It covers the 23 scheduled substances internationally controlled under the 1988 UN Convention and also establishes cooperation on controlling non-scheduled substances used for the illicit manufacture of drugs.