A single EU QR code for the Single Market

The digital provision of product information has become a major undertaking under EU legislation, representing a strategic shift toward digitising the Single Market. While various regulations now permit or require digital delivery via QR codes, a critical challenge has emerged: regulatory fragmentation. Without a harmonised approach, products face a stacking effect of multiple, overlapping QR codes on a single product that undermine policy coherence, and practical implementation.

The home appliance industry advocates for a Single EU QR Code to act as the unified entry point for all legally required product information, ensuring a coherent regulatory environment, and streamlined experience for consumers.

Key Messages:

• A Single EU QR code for all legal information requirements: ensures that if a product is already legally required to carry a QR code, no additional carriers are added for overlapping requirements.
• Ensure operator accountability and market surveillance: the QR code must ensure that every product is linked to a registered responsible economic operator based in the EU, to facilitate a more effective market surveillance.
• A Single EU QR Code should function as a harmonised access point
• The Single EU QR Code framework must fully protect confidential business information and must not result in broad access to sensitive technical documentation.