A Second Chance for "Made in Germany"

Politicians and business leaders showered Brussels with criticism this week after the EU Commission announced it would call for replacing national labels of origin, such as "Made in Germany," with a European-wide production seal. On Wednesday the spokeswoman for EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said the time wasn’t right to introduce the "Made in the EU" label. When it comes time for such a decision, she said the EU would consult representatives from industry, consumer advocacy groups and member states. Towards the beginning of March, the Commission will present a list of various options, including displaying both national and European labels of origin. The suggestion to introduce the EU seal came from Italy and was an attempt to present consumers with an image of a cohesive Europe. Industry leaders, however, have criticized the idea as undermining national interests. The president of the Federation of German Industries, Michael Rogowski, warned the EU not to get rid of the German seal of origin. "We are proud of our seal of quality," he told the mass circulation Bild. "We reject a mandatory EU label."