Commissie eist dat Finland voldoet aan regels voor meetinstrumenten (en)

Brussels 29 September 2011: The European Commission has today issued a reasoned opinion under EU infringement procedures to request Finland to implement the EU directive 2004/22/EC and its amendments on measuring instruments. If the Member State concerned does not inform the Commission within two months of measures taken to ensure full compliance with its obligations, the Commission may decide to refer it to the EU's Court of Justice.

Measuring instruments are an essential tool of ensuring accuracy of measurement, notably for transactions by consumers and industry in every day life: water meters, taximeters, electricity meters, weighing machines, etc.

So far, Finland has not implemented new EU rules, which reinforce the accuracy and performance of measuring instruments. They improve consumer protection against measurement errors, taking into account developments in the state of the art of measurement technology for a range of measuring instruments among which are utility meters intended for residential, commercial and light industrial use (water, gas, electricity and heat), petrol pumps and other measuring systems for transactions of liquids other than water. In particular, the new rules increase protection against biased errors of measurement, as for example, on one's energy bill or at the petrol pump.

Directive 2004/22/EC protects consumers by requiring that measuring instruments which are subject to legal metrological control are placed on the market and put into use only if they satisfy its performance requirements. It also ensures that those measuring instruments that meet those performance requirements can be sold legally in all EU Member States without restrictions. Member States had to adopt and publish the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with the Directive by 1 December 2010 and apply them as from 1 June 2011.

MEMO/11/646

More information on the above Directive

For more information on the free movement of goods