Market surveillance

The FPS Economy carries out surveillance of the goods and services market in order to ensure compliance with economic regulations. This role as the "economic police" supports regulatory policy and allows for ongoing evaluation of the value and efficiency of legislation. The FPS Economy's policy on market surveillance includes providing information to economic players as well as prevention and penalisation.

Promoting a transversal approach within the FPS Economy

Ensuring integrated and efficient surveillance and control activities

Developing an efficient fight against all practices related to economic fraud

Promoting a transversal approach within the FPS Economy

Continuous cooperation occurs between the surveillance departments and relevant regulatory departments as part of this transversal approach. This way, permanent feedback is given to these departments to help them obtain concrete and complete knowledge of the market as part of the goal of encouraging regulatory policies which are reflective of reality and of the policy carried out by the FPS Economy. Furthermore, this permanent dialogue ensures uniform monitoring of economic regulations.

Ensuring integrated and efficient surveillance and control activities

Surveillance of the goods and services market is very broad. It includes:

• maintaining competition;
• protecting the rights of consumers and business owners;
• developing and facilitating the provisions relative to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) whenever this could provide added value;
• technical controls relating to standardisation, the safety of products and services, public safety, metrology and the analysis of product components.

Given the diversity and scale of certain sectors, the FPS Economy will delegate its surveillance activities to accredited and certified organisations whenever possible and expedient. It will always keep a general overview of any delegated activities.

Market surveillance is carried out according to relevant and justified choices. It is operationalised by scientific methods and a risk analysis tool. The FPS Economy also regularly evaluates its own control methodologies.

In addition, it is essential that any necessary measures can be taken so that appropriate penalties can be imposed in case of infractions. As part of this goal, the FPS Economy is constantly working in cooperation with relevant judiciary bodies.

Developing an efficient fight against all practices related to economic fraud

The FPS Economy seeks to protect all operators from the damaging consequences of economic fraud in fields as diverse as the correct attribution of European subsidies stemming from Community support programmes, economic compensation programmes, copyright laws, counterfeit goods and piracy. The FPS Economy is responsible for coordinating responses to these problems on a federal level.