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1. In order to improve the efficiency of market surveillance in the Union, the Commission may cooperate with and exchange market surveillance related information with regulatory authorities of third countries or international organisations within the framework of agreements concluded between the Union and third countries or international organisations. Any such agreements shall be based on reciprocity, include provisions on confidentiality corresponding to those applicable in the Union, and ensure that any exchange of information is in accordance with applicable Union law.

2. The cooperation or exchange of information may relate, inter alia, to the following:

(a) risk assessment methods used and the results of product-testing;

(b) coordinated product recalls or other similar actions;

(c) the measures taken by market surveillance authorities under Article 16.

3. The Commission may approve a specific system of product-related pre-export control carried out by a third country on products immediately prior to their export into the Union in order to verify that those products satisfy the requirements of the Union harmonisation legislation applicable to them. The approval may be granted in respect of one or more products, in respect of one or more categories of products or in respect of products or categories of products manufactured by certain manufacturers.

4. The Commission shall produce and maintain a list of those products or categories of products with regard to which approval has been granted as referred to in paragraph 3 and shall make this list available to the public.

5. Approval may only be granted to a third country under paragraph 3 if following conditions are satisfied:

(a) the third country possesses an efficient verification system of the compliance of products exported to the Union, and the controls carried out in that third country are sufficiently effective and efficient to replace or reduce import controls;

(b) audits within the Union and, if relevant, in the third country demonstrate that products exported from that third country to the Union satisfy the requirements set out in Union harmonisation legislation.

6. Where such an approval has been granted, the risk assessment applied to import controls for those products or categories of products entering the Union market, referred to in paragraph 3, shall include the granted approvals. Authorities designated under Article 25(1) may however carry out controls on those products or categories of products entering the Union market, including in order to ensure that the pre-export controls carried out by the third country are effective to determine compliance with Union harmonisation legislation.

7. The approval referred to in paragraph 3 shall specify the competent authority of the third country under whose responsibility the pre-export controls are to be performed and that competent authority shall be the counterpart for all contacts with the Union.

8. The competent authority, referred to in paragraph 7, shall ensure the official verification of the products prior to their entry into the Union.

9. Where controls on products entering the Union market referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article reveal significant non-compliance, the market surveillance authorities shall notify immediately the Commission through the information and communication system referred to in Article 34 and adapt the level of controls on such products.

10. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts approving each specific system of product-related pre-export controls, referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 43(2).

11. The Commission shall regularly monitor the correct functioning of the approval granted under paragraph 3 of this Article. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts withdrawing that approval where it is revealed that the products entering the Union market do not comply with Union harmonisation legislation in a significant number of instances. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 43(2). The Commission shall immediately inform the third country concerned thereof.

12. The system of product-related pre-export control shall be evaluated in accordance with Article 42(4).