MILAN — The labeling wars go on.
The European Commission this week laid out a watered-down version of the “Made In” legislation that Italy has championed for years as part of a wide-reaching consumer protection measure. Product origin labels for goods sold in the EU are currently optional, and while the new proposal would make them mandatory for ceramics, footwear and textiles, they would still be discretionary for home furnishings and jewelry.
The EU Council is set to review the latest “Made In” motion on May 28.
“This is a very delicate and decisive moment for ‘Made In’; after years of battles, we’re close to the final decision,” said Cleto Sagripanti, president of trade association Assocalzaturifici and the Micam shoe fair.
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“The ‘Made In’ battle is not a backwards-looking or protectionist battle, but one that favors transparency for consumers,” he added.
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In April 2014, an EU Parliament vote came out largely in support of increased labeling legislation, with 485 MEPs in favor — 76 percent of the total — 27 abstaining and 130 opposed. Most detractors were from Germany and other northern European countries that have largely offshored manufacturing.
While the weaker “Made In” proposal has raised hopes in the Italian footwear, textile and fashion industries, it has ruffled some feathers on the home décor and jewelry side of the aisle.
Italy’s vice minister for economic development Carlo Calenda has stressed the government’s commitment to seeing labeling legislation go into effect for all five of the sectors in the original proposal.
“This is a goal that we’ve been unable to achieve for the past ten years, due to the resistance of many countries in central and northern Europe. Some steps forward were made in the last few days toward a reasonable potential compromise; at the EU Council, however, the course remains complex,” he said.
Calenda added that Italy would push the Council to “respect the conclusions” of EU Commission studies and align itself with the “political orientation of the EU Parliament, which has already expressed a strong majority in favor of this regulation.”