Personal Protective Equipment: Initial Appraisal of a European Commission Impact Assessment

Briefing 02-12-2014

This note seeks to provide an initial analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the European Commission's Impact Assessment (IA) accompanying the Commission proposal for a Regulation on personal protective equipment. This is a proposal to revise Council Directive 89/686/EEC of December 1989 which aims to permit the free movement of personal protective equipment (PPE) in Europe while ensuring a high level of protection for its users against risks. PPE is defined as 'any device or appliance designed to be worn or held by any individual for protection against one or more safety hazards'. It ensures protection against any type of hazards e.g. heat, flames, chemicals, flying particles, mechanical, that may occur in different environments, such as work, home, or leisure, and can protect any part of the human body. This note, prepared by the Ex-Ante Impact Assessment Unit for the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) of the European Parliament, analyses whether the principal criteria laid down in the Commission’s own Impact Assessment Guidelines, as well as additional factors identified by the Parliament in its Impact Assessment Handbook, appear to be met by the IA. It does not attempt to deal with the substance of the proposal. It is drafted for informational and background purposes to assist the relevant parliamentary committee(s) and Members more widely in their work.