Euralarm’s major concern with the European Commission’s proposed ‘Directive on services in the internal market’ centres around the ‘Country of Origin’ principle. Under this concept, a service provider is subject only to the law of the country in which it is established, and member states may not restrict services from a provider established in another member state.
But according to Euralarm, the idea that a company may set up an operation in another member state, while operating to the legal requirements of its original base, is open to abuse. “It is certainly not in the fire and security industry’s or the internal market’s best interest to increase competition by lowering levels of quality and safety,” said the organisation’s position paper, published in December.
This would certainly be the case, the paper continued, “if a company from a member state – where the service and maintenance industry did not have the same level of competence through standards and third-party conformity as, say, the UK or Germany – set up an operation in those member states and still worked to the rules from his member state.”
The organisation is also concerned that companies could offer the service at a much lower cost to aid competitiveness while not supplying the same quality, so lowering the expected levels of competence within the EU.
Euralarm is calling for the exemption of fire and security, and other life safety services, from the Country of Origin principle.
The directive is expected to have its first reading before the European Parliament in February.
