NEMA applauds proposal to suspend labeling directive.

Press Release Summary:



NEMA welcomes the European Commission's proposal to indefinitely postpone implementation of EU 1980, which would have banned usage of non-metric units on products sold in the EU. According to NEMA President and CEO Evan Gaddis, differences between European and North American electrical infrastructures would make required usage of metric-only labeling unworkable. The proposed suspension must still be ratified by the European Parliament and Council of Ministers.



Original Press Release:



NEMA Applauds Brussels Proposal to Suspend Metric-Only Labeling Directive



ROSSLYN, Va., September 14, 2007-The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) welcomes the European Commission's September 10 proposal to indefinitely postpone implementation of the European Union's (EU) 1980 metric-only labeling directive, which would have banned usage of non-metric units on products sold in the EU.

"We very much appreciate this new proposal," noted NEMA President and Chief Executive Officer Evan Gaddis. "It recognizes that the original directive, which was principally drafted to further British and Irish integration into the EU, would have also had serious negative implications for trans-Atlantic trade."

"The U.S. electrical equipment industry is hardly opposed to the metric system itself," added Gaddis, "but fundamental differences between the built electrical infrastructures in Europe and North America make required (as opposed to optional) usage of metric-only labeling unworkable."

Communicating frequently with government officials and industry counterparts on both sides of the Atlantic, NEMA has been a leader in efforts to address concerns posed by the directive- which has never come into force and is currently subject to a third 10-year suspension. The proposed indefinite suspension, which was authored by the Commission's Enterprise Directorate, must still be ratified by the European Parliament and Council of Ministers.

NEMA is the trade association of choice for the electrical manufacturing industry. Founded in 1926 and headquartered near Washington, D.C., its approximately 450 member companies manufacture products used in the generation, transmission and distribution, control, and end-use of electricity. These products are used in utility, medical imaging, industrial, commercial, institutional, and residential applications. Domestic production of electrical products sold worldwide exceeds $120 billion. In addition to its headquarters in Rosslyn, Virginia, NEMA also has offices in Beijing, Sao Paulo, and Mexico City.

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