ANEC, the European Consumer Voice in Standardisation, welcomes the article, “Fair’s fair”1, by Bill Newton Dunn MEP, in the new edition of The Parliament Magazine. We join Mr Newton Dunn in calling for fairground and amusement equipment to be covered by European legislation.

Since the 1990s, ANEC has urged the European Commission to include fairground and amusement equipment and machinery - such as roller coasters - in the scope of the European Directive for Machinery. We have been unsuccessful so far. Instead, Member States may apply “specific national rules and practices” in efforts to ensure the safety of the public. A European Standard2 was published in 2004, but it is not recognised by the Commission and, moreover, is completely unsatisfactory as it provides less protection to the consumers using the fairground rides than to the employees operating them.

Stephen Russell, ANEC Secretary-General, noted: “Millions of consumers make use of fairgrounds and amusement parks and serious accidents continue to happen. It is wholly unacceptable that, after so many years, the equipment is still not covered by European legislation. We welcome that Mr Newton Dunn has again brought the issue into the spotlight. Once more, we urge the Commission to establish a European legal framework for fairground and amusement equipment without delay in order to make sure consumers enjoy properly-designed and well-maintained rides.”

ENDS

1 http://tinyurl.com/6crhxyh
2 EN 13814:2004 ‘Fairground and amusement park machinery and structures - Safety’

ANEC in brief

Raising standards for consumers

ANEC is the European consumer voice in standardisation, defending consumer interests in the processes of technical standardisation and conformity assessment as well as related legislation and public policies. ANEC was established in 1995 as an international non-profit association under Belgian law and represents consumer organisations from 31 European countries. ANEC is funded by the European Union and EFTA, with national consumer organisations contributing in kind. Its Secretariat is based in Brussels.

More information: www.anec.eu

Contact: Tania Vandenberghe
Tel: +32(0)2 743 24 70
Email: anec@anec.eu