The European Parliament made a declaration on origin marking, pointing out that the EU attached the utmost importance to transparency for the benefit of consumers, and information on the origin of goods was vital in that respect. It also pointed out that the number of cases of misleading and fraudulent indications of origin on goods imported into the Union was increasing, potentially jeopardising consumer safety, and that a number of the EU's major trading partners, such as the United States, Japan and Canada, had introduced mandatory origin-marking requirements.

Parliament emphasised once again the right of European consumers to immediate access to information about their purchases. It stressed that fraudulent indications concerning product origin were, like any kind of fraud, unacceptable, and believed that a level playing field with the EU's trading partners must be guaranteed, in line with a fair trade agenda. Signatories to the declaration fully supported the Commission's proposal for a Council regulation on the indication of the country of origin of certain products imported from third countries. They called on Member States to adopt the regulation without delay, in the interests of consumers, industry and competitiveness in the EU.