The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection adopted the report by Maria GRAPINI (S&D, RO) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 as regards the digital labelling of EU fertilising products.
The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows:
Improved accessibility
Websites or online platforms may not be designed with proper accessibility features, making it difficult for individuals with visual, hearing or motor disabilities to access the information effectively. To address these access and difficulty issues, Members considered that efforts should be made to ensure that digital labels are accessible, user-friendly, and available in multiple formats to accommodate diverse populations.
Digital labelling
Members stressed that since digital labels are meant to provide mandatory information on EU fertilising products, the economic operators should ensure free access to digital labels for a period of at least 10 years from the moment the EU fertilising product is placed on the market.
It is essential that where economic operators choose the digital labelling of EU fertilising products supplied to consumers in a packaging, they should therefore ensure that a minimum set of relevant information is also available on the physical label. It is also important that the digital labels do not excessively increase the cost of products.
Moreover, the digital label may include recommendations and best practices for the use of the EU fertilising product.
Evaluation
By 5 years from the entry into force of this Regulation, the Commission should carry out an evaluation of this Regulation assessing its impact on the proper functioning of the internal market, the level of consumer protection and its impact on businesses, particularly on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and to what extent economic operators opted for the use of a digital instead of a physical label.