Six Italian MEPs from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group have warned that the European Commission's failure to publish implementation guidance and harmonised standards for the new Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, due to enter into force on 20 January 2027, is jeopardising Europe's industrial competitiveness in strategic sectors such as aerospace, defence, energy, advanced engineering and automotive. In a written parliamentary question submitted on 9 June 2026, MEPs Elena Donazzan, Alessandro Ciriani, Pietro Fiocchi, Mariateresa Vivaldini, Carlo Ciccioli and Nicola Procaccini argue that businesses and notified bodies lack the tools to ensure compliance, legal certainty and correct CE marking, and that the new requirements on safety components, AI-based systems and digital architectures require structural overhauls that cannot be completed in the current timeframe without clear technical guidance.
The question asks the Commission three concrete things: when it plans to publish the application guide and harmonised standards; whether it intends to adopt transitional measures to allow businesses to comply fully; and whether it has assessed the socio-economic impact of the technical delay on the affected industrial sectors. The MEPs frame the delay as a direct threat to skilled employment and the Union's industrial sovereignty. The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks; its answer will signal whether it acknowledges the implementation gap and is willing to grant transitional relief or accelerate the publication of standards.
Stakeholder impact: EU manufacturers in machinery-intensive sectors face compliance uncertainty and potential production disruptions if guidance remains absent; notified bodies responsible for certification lack the reference framework to assess conformity; EU workers in aerospace, defence, energy and automotive sectors risk job losses if companies delay investments or relocate; the Commission's credibility as a regulator is at stake if it fails to deliver the promised technical framework on time.