CYPRUS – Capacity Development for Market Surveillance (EuropeAid/140609/DH/SER/CY)

The overall objective is to advance the integration of the Turkish Cypriot Community (TCc) market with the EU single market and to enhance the business environment for the TCc economic operators.

Purpose

Moving away from the pre-import permits system. The purpose of this project is to facilitate the TCc to transition from a system fully based on pre-import permits to the market surveillance system in line with EU acquis. This should be done by strengthening the capacity of relevant market surveillance institutions in the selected non-food sectors, by developing market surveillance strategies and plans, by achieving coordination and cooperation between actors, by training product controllers, and by performing relevant awareness raising activities.

Market surveillance as part of a wider quality framework. It needs to be emphasized that market surveillance is only one element of the quality framework assuring quality and safety of products available in the market. Other important elements, which the TCc “local administration” should develop in parallel, are metrology, standardization, accreditation and conformity assessment. While the service contract is meant to focus on supporting the implementation of the market surveillance system, this wider context needs to be kept in mind.

Results to be achieved

The contractor is expected to provide the following services and achieve the following results:

• Generate an assessment of the current situation in relation to the PSL and the approved secondary legal texts, in order to generate a report on the needs to implement a market surveillance system in the TCc.
• Develop and implement an integral and functioning market surveillance plan in consensus with the “local administration”, including a realistic transition plan given the current situation, and taking into consideration sectorial specific needs.
• Provide technical assistance and build/develop the capacity of the responsible bodies implementing, coordinating and cooperating in market surveillance activities.
• Develop and implement a communication and awareness raising strategy on market surveillance towards the “local administration”, consumers and economic operators.
• Identify the needs and prepare an IT infrastructure supply proposal to appropriately support the integral implementation of the market surveillance system.