A Market Surveillance Policy and Test Plan for an EMC Enforcement Authority

The influence of national borders is diminishing as a result of globalisation. Enterprises are becoming increasingly multinational and e-commerce is growing. The enlargement of the EU increases the amount of EU Member States, authorities and competent/notified bodies. All this makes the market surveillance more challenging and increases the need of applying mutual market surveillance enforcement practices. The market surveillance takes into account the estimation of the seriousness of the risks to target the surveillance towards the most critical target groups. When hazards and non-conformances in certain kind of products have been charted and the potential risk assessed, the allocation of market surveillance resources and the choice of correct measures can be taken. In this paper, the following prime objectives for market surveillance are introduced: (1) Market surveillance is seen to be independent, transparent and yet visible. (2) Market surveillance is based on the analysis of target groups. Authorities' resources and activities are rationally optimized in proportion to the risks the products in question might incur. (3) Market surveillance is based on smooth-running cooperation between enterprise operators, other authorities and citizens. (4) Contributing towards improved functional, reasonable and up-to-date product requirements; as well as (5) continuous striving for more effective European market surveillance cooperation are needed. Also in this paper, an EMC market surveillance test plan is presented and en example how to apply it for personal computers is shown.