Minister Bolat: We will strengthen technical infrastructures with our authorized institutions for the inspection of products placed on the market

Market surveillance and inspection (MSI) activities in Turkey, which are carried out by nine different public institutions and were established in 2011, are coordinated at the national level by the Ministry of Trade. A significant part of this coordination task consists of reports prepared to evaluate numerical data regarding inspections conducted by MSI institutions. These reports, which are published regularly every year, reveal developments seen in the system over the years and present problems and suggestions for the solution of these problems.
The data contained in the report in question serves as a guide in planning to make activities to be carried out in the coming years more effective, efficient, and functional, beyond the evaluation of past years.

The report is prepared within the framework of a methodology determined by taking into account European Union practices, and institutions that can provide data in a format compatible with this method and that can be compared are primarily addressed in the report.
In the report, data from the Ministry of Industry and Technology, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the General Directorate of Consumer Protection and Market Surveillance of the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority, and the Energy Market Regulatory Authority are handled and evaluated together.
In this context, the Market Surveillance, Inspection and Product Safety Evaluation Board Meeting was held at the Turkuaz Hall of the Ministry of Trade Söğütözü Campus to explain the data for 2022. The meeting was hosted by Trade Minister Ömer Bolat and attended by Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı, as well as deputy ministers, general managers, bureaucrats, and representatives from various public institutions.

"We have not allowed, and will not allow, firms that do not follow the rules, endanger the health of citizens, and distort competition in the market"

In his speech here, Minister Bolat stated that the safe production and import of products in accordance with relevant legislation is among their primary duties, saying, "Economic operators, especially manufacturers and importers, are obliged to offer their products to the market in accordance with the rules. As public institutions, we conduct inspections both in the domestic market and at the import stage. With these inspections, we ensure that our citizens use safe products on the one hand, and protect economic operators who follow the rules against unfair competition on the other. We have not allowed, and will not allow, firms that do not follow the rules, endanger the health of citizens, and distort competition in the market."

Bolat provided the following information regarding the content of the Product Safety and Technical Regulations Law, which entered into force in 2021:

"First, we clearly defined the responsibilities of each of the manufacturers, authorized representatives, importers, and distributors. In addition, we filled a major gap by adding the issue of traceability to our Law. With this regulation, we can fight more effectively against underground production and the problems it causes. Another important issue is the concept of recall. With this law, the recall of unsafe products in the hands of users, in addition to the collection of products already on the market, has now been provided with a legal infrastructure. On the other hand, taking into account the importance of the 'Made in Turkey' image abroad, provisions have been introduced to ensure that products to be exported are also safe."

"In 2023, a total of 233 thousand product batches were inspected, and 10 thousand 881 batches of these products were found to be non-compliant"

Arguing that the greatest impact of the inspections they carry out in the market and at the import stage is deterrence, Bolat said, "In 2023, which we are completing, a total of 233 thousand product batches were inspected in the domestic market for many product groups such as food, machinery, textiles, white goods, and construction materials, and 10 thousand 881 batches of these products were found to be non-compliant. Products that did not comply with the legislation were collected from the market, recalled, or destroyed according to the risks they posed. In addition, heavy administrative fines were imposed on the relevant parties."
"We will accept the Action Plan here today and start implementing it in 2024"
Stating that one of the important results of the meeting held today, which he said was important, would be the adoption of the new National Market Surveillance and Inspection Action Plan, which will form the basis of the work for the 2024-2025 period, Bolat stated, "We will accept the Action Plan here today and start implementing it in 2024."

"With the Product Safety in E-Commerce Project, we will also contribute to the strengthening of the technical infrastructures of our authorized institutions for the inspection of products placed on the market through remote communication tools"

Sharing the information that they will continue to develop legal infrastructures in the fields of product safety and market surveillance and inspection in the coming period, Minister Bolat made the following assessment: "In this context, we will soon publish the Regulation regulating the issues regarding the market surveillance and inspection of products placed on the market through remote communication tools in the first stage. In this field, we will also contribute to the strengthening of the technical infrastructures of our authorized institutions for the inspection of products placed on the market through remote communication tools with the Product Safety in E-Commerce Project, which is financed by the European Union and which we will implement in a short time."
Bolat noted that another issue they will focus on within the scope of the Action Plan covering the 2024-2025 period is to contribute to the strengthening of the administrative and financial infrastructures of authorized institutions so that market surveillance and inspection activities can be carried out more effectively and efficiently.
Bolat stated that they will also focus on current issues such as cybersecurity requirements in products, artificial intelligence, and green and digital transformation in the coming period.
"Creating a certain level of awareness among our manufacturers, importers, and especially our consumers is of great importance in terms of achieving the results we want from our work"

Bolat continued his speech as follows:

"We, as the institutions representing the public leg of the MSI system, will carry out our work diligently towards these goals. However, the private sector and consumers also constitute another important leg of product safety. At this point, creating a certain level of awareness among our manufacturers, importers, and especially our consumers is of great importance in terms of achieving the results we want from our work. For this reason, one of our most important strategic goals is to increase the level of knowledge and awareness regarding product safety."

The meeting continued with a closed-door session where data from 9 institutions and organizations were handled and evaluated together, and the new National Market Surveillance and Inspection Action Plan, which will form the basis of the work for the 2024-2025 period, was to be adopted.

News Source: 12punto