Today, the Commission released its 2018 report on the EU’s rapid alert system called ‘Safety Gate’ for dangerous non-food consumer products – formerly known as RAPEX ‘Rapid Alert System’. The report shows that national authorities submitted 2,257 alerts on dangerous products that failed safety requirements.
These are the details:
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With 31 percent ‘Toys’ constitute the most notified product category – followed by the categories of ‘motor vehicles’ (19 percent) and 'clothing, textiles and fashion items' (10 percent).
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Main risks reported were chemical risks and injuries (each 25 percent) followed by danger of suffocation for children (18 percent).
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More than half of the detected dangerous products originate from China, which is why the cooperation with competent Chinese authorities on this issue remains a priority.
Monique Goyens, Director General of the European Consumer Organization BEUC, noted: “This year’s figures confirm that unsafe products continue to reach consumers. National authorities are not managing to stop this flow. To make headway on mitigating this, we urge the European Parliament to swiftly approve the proposed improvements to the market surveillance activities of the EU and its Member States.”
Source: BEUC and European Commission
More information and Commission’s press release