E.U. Commissioner Antonio Tajani promotes “Made in” label for fashion and luxury

PARIS, France - During a public appearance Wednesday in Paris, European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship Antonio Tajani talked about importance of an obligatory label of origin for fashion and luxury products made in the European Union as well as imported ones.

During a public appearance Wednesday in Paris, European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship Antonio Tajani talked about importance of an obligatory label of origin for fashion and luxury products made in the European Union as well as imported ones.

“We need to support European expertise, quality at a high level. It is also a guarantee for consumers, who need to know what they are buying, be it at Dior or Zara. We must defend the quality,” said Antonio Tajani.

“We are advocating a proposal before the European Parliament for regulating the traceability of products from the European domestic market, products that are made in Europe and those that are imported,” he said.

The proposal mandates obligatory indication of a product’s origin through labeling.
“This could mean Made in France, Made in Italy or Made in the European Union,” said the E.U. commissioner.

This would also apply “to imported products, which must contain the words Made in China or Made in the United States, so that consumers can have a choice," he said, adding that "retailer distributors would have to be involved.”

“If we want to come out of the crisis, we have to move forward in terms of quality and we must remember that Europe is about quality,” insisted Antonio Tajani.

“I want to send a signal that industry is not only the car industry but also luxury and fashion. It is wrong to think that luxury is just for the rich. It is rich people who perhaps buy the products, but their purchases guarantee jobs,” he emphasized.

For Antonio Tajani, such a measure would also be “a strong blow against the mafia and counterfeiting. We are advocating stronger customs controls.”

The commissioner said that he “hopes this proposal will be adopted before the next European Parliament elections" in May 2014.