CE-mark recognition a win for British consumers and economy

Commenting on the UK government’s decision to continue recognising CE-marked products, Shanker Singham, International Trade and Competition Fellow at free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:

“The UK’s recognition of the CE mark will ensure British consumers can continue purchasing the likes of medical devices, household appliances and manufactured goods made for the EU market. This will deliver not only expanded consumer choice but also regulatory competition, encouraging greater efficiency, driving economic growth, and making all of us richer.

“Recently, the Chancellor announced that drug approvals from trusted agencies like the FDA in the US or the EMA in Europe would receive ‘near automatic sign off’, in effect giving manufacturers a choice of where to be approved, but not requiring UK approval. This is also an extremely positive step that one would hope other countries would replicate.

“It is to be hoped that this is the beginning of more mutual recognition, but crucially if countries do not agree, the UK can act by itself to unilaterally recognise trusted partners.”