On 27 May, the Commission designated a Union Testing Facility for eco-design and energy labelling. This will increase the testing capacity available to the national market surveillance authorities in this area, protect the public interest and facilitate the smooth functioning of the single market.

Products placed on the market must be safe and comply with the relevant legislative requirements. While manufacturers must ensure that their new products comply with the requirements, national authorities enforcing EU product legislation (‘market surveillance authorities’) carry out checks on products already on the market to ensure that they are also compliant. This means that the authorities must physically test the products against the applicable requirements. This requires not only sufficient testing capacity across the EU, but also standardised and reliable testing methods.

The role of a Union testing facility is twofold: first, to carry out tests at the request of national authorities, and second, to develop and implement testing methods, where necessary.

Union testing facilities are public entities and provide their services only to national authorities, not only in the Member State where they are established, but also across the EU.

Union testing facilities deliver better outcomes through collaboration with national authorities and reduce their testing costs. They are the basis for even deeper cooperation across the EU: authorities from different Member States investigating the same product can carry out joint tests and coordinate their activities more effectively. Nevertheless, the existence of Union testing facilities does not prevent national authorities from using other testing facilities. 

The ‘testing duties’ they perform are not the only benefit Union testing facilities bring to the single market. They also:

•        provide independent technical or scientific advice to national authorities and the Commission;
•        conduct training courses for the benefit of staff of market surveillance authorities and the Commission;
•        organise workshops;
•        participate in meetings of Commission expert groups where applicable; and
•        participate in the work of the groups standardising testing methods.

Union testing facilities are designated in accordance with clear procedures laid down in EU legislation. This is not the first designation of a Union testing facility. In 2023, the Commission designated two Union Testing Facilities in the areas of toys and radio equipment. In the coming years, it intends to designate more facilities in more sectors.