Today, the Council of the European Union voted in favor of the new General Product Safety Regulation, which aims to ensure a greater level of product safety for consumers within the EU.
This new regulation, that is expected to come into force from June 2023, will replace the 2001 Product Safety Directive and then apply directly to the law in all EU Member States, taking into account appropriate transitional provisions of a maximum of 18 months.
The regulation provides for the following:
- Through the more comprehensive application of the precautionary principle, consumers must always have a contact person within the EU for all products that were placed on the market in the EU in order to be able to report any problems with purchased goods.
- Online marketplaces are to be held more accountable for product safety. For example, they must use the Safety Gate Portal to randomly check whether offers on their marketplace have already been identified as dangerous.
- In addition, the duties and tasks for manufacturers, importers, retailers or fulfillment service providers will be specifically defined.
- In the event of a recall of a dangerous product, more consumers are to learn about it and be better informed, for example via their contact information stored when purchasing the product. In the event of a recall, they will generally have a choice between at least two free remedies, such as a refund of the purchase price, replacement of the recalled product or repair.
Christiane Rohleder, State Secretary, commented: "Consumers in the EU are now better protected from dangerous products. Germany has successfully campaigned for stricter product safety rules. We welcome the fact that online marketplaces will have to assume more responsibility in the future. We will also monitor this closely in implementation and expect future product safety proposals to include even more obligations for providers of online marketplaces. This is another reason why Germany has submitted a protocol declaration together with Spain, France, Denmark and Portugal."
Source: BMUV
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