Information and Communication System on Market Surveillance (ICSMS)

The Information and Communication System on Market Surveillance (ICSMS) is an IT platform to facilitate communication between market surveillance bodies in the EU and in EFTA countries. It quickly and efficiently shares information on non-compliant products, avoids the duplication of work, and speeds up the removal of unsafe products from the market.

Why was the ICSMS set up?

The ICSMS helps market surveillance authorities to:

exchange information on market surveillance measures quickly and efficiently;
coordinate activities and inspections more effectively;
share resources and to test products which have yet to be tested;
carry out wide-scale market interventions on dubious products. These interventions use the latest information to avoid duplicate inspections;
develop best practices;
ensure that market surveillance is efficient and uniform across all EU countries to prevent the distortion of competition;
establish an encyclopaedia of EU market surveillance intelligence.

The need to set up ICSMS systems from Art. 23 of Regulation 765/2008.

Division of ICSMS

the internal area is designed for market surveillance, customs, and EU authorities. It contains available information on products marketed in the EU. Confidential data are protected by access authorisations;
the public area is devoted to consumers, users, and manufacturers. The information visible to the public provides only reference to the product and its non-compliance, and not any internal documents (i.e. information exchange between the authority and the importer/manufacturer).

Challenges faced by the ICSMS

to ensure that national authorities make correct use of ICSMS;
identify defective and/or dangerous products;
take the necessary measures in due time.

Useful links

The ICSMS platform

Market surveillance website

RAPEX website