Statement by Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee Chair Anna Cavazzini (Greens/EFA, DE) on the revision of the General Product Safety Directive.
“Toxic substances in cosmetics and safety deficiencies in toys or protective face masks can put people in real danger. The revised product safety rules will address a major problem the European Parliament has long underlined: many products sold in the single market still do not adhere to EU standards and safety requirements and this needs to change. Unsafe products have no place in the EU internal market. I welcome the European Commission’s move to better enforce high EU-wide safety standards to protect our consumers and am happy to see that several of parliament’s demands are addressed in this legislative proposal. EU rules must keep pace with digitalisation, and the legal framework needs to be adapted to the challenges of growing online trade as well as introducing new requirements for online marketplaces. To genuinely protect consumers and prevent any damage, we must oblige platform operators to quickly withdraw unsafe products from the market. The Commission’s proposed deadline of removing unsafe products up to five days after the notification is made leaves the product on sale for too long. If a digital platform promises to deliver a product to the customer in 24 hours, it should also be able to remove a dangerous product from the market much sooner than five days. We also must find a way to make sure that sellers from third countries fully respect our standards and product safety rules. The Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee is fully committed to the revision and will give it the committee’s highest priority, as consumer safety issues cannot be taken lightly. I am looking forward to discussing the proposal in our next committee meeting.”
Product safety in next IMCO meeting
Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders will present the Commission proposals on the revision of the Consumer Credit Directive and the General Product Safety Directive in the Internal Market Committee on 13 July at 9.30.
Parliament outlined in November 2020 almost unanimously that the revised product safety rules have to deal with a number of shortfalls, including e.g.:
Tracing and recalling unsafe products must be improved: market surveillance needs proper resources and should cover all product groups; Online platforms and marketplaces to take more responsibility to ensure products are safe; High-risk products should be checked more often.
