Annual meeting of the Advisory Group on Market Surveillance (MARS)

26 May 2023 11:00 - 13:00

The Advisory Group on Market Surveillance (MARS) is a unique forum where market surveillance agencies and conformity assessment bodies can exchange on best practices and improved coordination internationally. It promotes the best practices developed in Recommendation N on Good Market Surveillance Policies and Practices and Recommendation M on the Use of Market Surveillance Infrastructure as a Complementary Means to Protect Consumers and Users against Counterfeit Goods. It develops further guidance to help standards development organizations to effectively roll out gender-responsive standards, including the Glossary of Market Surveillance Terms.

All experts are welcome to join these meetings.

During this meeting, MARS will assess the progress of its activities in the 2023 Programme of Work and decide on the priorities for the coming period. It will report on projects, publications and other activities that have been accomplished since the June 2022 annual meeting. The meeting will also feature some exchanges of best practices in market surveillance and conformity assessment.

This meeting is taking place as part of the WP.6 Second Forum. Find out about the other meetings at this webpage.

Agenda

Time	Agenda item	Moderator/Speakers
11:00 – 11:05	Welcome and approval of the agenda	WP.6 Secretariat Mr. Tauno Kangur
11:05 – 11:15	Nomination of officers	WP.6 Secretary Mr. Lance Thompson [Bio]
11:15 – 11:45	Verification of progress on the Programme of Work 2022-2023 (a) Review for possible updates the Recommendation M on Use of Market Surveillance Infrastructure as a Complementary Means to Protect Consumers and Users against Counterfeit Goods and plan for guidelines on implementation of this recommendation. A webinar on counterfeit products could also be planned in support of this (b) Review for possible updates linked to digitalization and sustainability the Recommendation N on Good Market Surveillance Policies and Practices (c) Continue exchanges of experience in the area of market surveillance in order to identify and bring forward best practices in this field while further developing the network of global and regional market surveillance entities (d) Enhance cooperation with customs agencies, with an objective to improve controls at the border and application of market access regulations (e) Develop further the Market Surveillance Model Initiative Guide to the Use of the General Market Surveillance Procedures covering all phases of market surveillance from planning of inspections to dangerous product recall (f) Develop a guide to clarify certain terms in the Market Surveillance Glossary	Chair Ms. Vera Despotovic [Bio][PPT]
11:45 – 12:00	Preparing report for the WP.6 Annual session and the PoW for 2024	Chair Ms. Vera Despotovic, Secretariat

12:00 – 12:40	Exchange on best practices in market surveillance (cooperation with Customs Authorities and/or online Market Surveillance) and conformity assessment	Chair Ms. Vera Despotovic
	Estonian Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority	Ms. Jana Baljutis-Kütt, Head of Product Safety Division [Bio][PPT]
	Belgium Directorate-General Quality and Safety	Mr. Jan Deconinck, Head of Metrology [Bio][PPT]
	SWEDAC, National accreditation body of Sweden	Ms. Viktoria Lindberg Martinell, Advisor [Bio] Ms. Sanela Putnik, Senior Market Surveillance Advisor [Bio]
12:40 – 12:50	Experience and challenges in implementing market surveillance of e-commerce activities in Europe European Commission DG GROW Unit D3 – Market surveillance	Chair Ms. Vera Despotovic Mr. Lennart Grundberg [Bio][PPT]
12:50	QA session, any other business, closing of the meeting	Chair Ms. Vera Despotovic, participants, Secretariat

Nomination procedures

Nomination of officers

During the annual session of this group, participants will be asked to nominate the chair and vice chair for the coming period. These nominations are done on an annual basis, with no limit on the number of times an officer can be re-nominated. Each group should have a chair and a vice chair (there can be a maximum of two vice chairs).

Candidature:

Any individual interested candidates may make their intention known by 25 April 2023 at the latest. Please send an email to the Secretary of WP.6: [email protected] by close of business on 25 April.

Candidacies will be checked with the WP.6 Chair and eventually with the candidate’s delegation for confirmation and any further information. A short bio will be requested and shared below at least one week prior to the meeting for the information of the meeting participants.

Responsibilities:

The chair of the group is responsible for the meetings of the group and for presenting the work of the group to the parent body, the WP.6 annual session. The chair is therefore asked to ensure to have the financial dispositions to be able to physically participate in all necessary meetings. The chair ensures that all meetings are fair and open. The chair, with the assistance of the secretariat, ensures that all topics discussed within the group are in line with the Programme of Work and that deliberations are properly recorded.

The vice-chair acts as back-up for the chair and the above responsibilities, if needed. The vice-chair may also be asked by the chair to carry out specific tasks. The vice-chair is also asked to participate physically in all meetings and to ensure that they have the necessary financial dispositions to be able to do so.

Nomination procedures:

If there is more than one candidate for any given position, or there is a request from a member State, the secretariat will prepare and publish a nomination procedure at least one week prior to the event.

Candidatures received:

Candidate for Chair: Jan Deconinck [Bio]
Candidate for Vice-Chair: Ivan Hendrikx [Bio]
Candidate for Vice-Chair: Lucy He [Bio]

The voting procedure that will apply should voting be necessary is contained in this document.