EU Council gives green light for more consumer protection

The Enterprise Europe Network informs:
06/19/2023

On May 23, 2023, the EU published the General Product Safety Regulation (EU)2023/988, which introduces stricter safety rules for products sold both online and offline. The regulation will improve market surveillance for unsafe products, while strengthening consumer rights for buyers of unsafe products.

In concrete terms, this means:

• Online marketplaces must cooperate with market surveillance authorities if they discover a dangerous product on their platform, and they must indicate a central contact point responsible for product safety.
• Online marketplaces can in future be obliged by order of the market surveillance authorities to remove dangerous products from their platforms or to block access to them.
• Uniform monitoring rules apply to the entire internal market, for all products.
• If a product has been found to be unsafe, economic operators must take corrective action without delay and inform market surveillance authorities and the consumer side.
• If a product needs to be recalled, consumers are entitled to repair, replacement or refund (and they can choose between at least two of these options).
• Economic operators should designate a person responsible for products sold online and offline, who - regardless of the origin of the products - will ensure that technical documentation, instructions and safety information are available.

Background

The 2001 General Product Safety Directive ensured that all consumer products marketed in the EU meet general safety requirements. The growing number of goods and products sold online has now necessitated an update to bring the rules in line with current digital and technological developments.

The General Product Safety Directive (which had to be transposed into national legislation) will now become a General Product Safety Regulation (which leaves Member States no room for deviation in implementation).

The rules apply to all economic operators (manufacturers, importers and distributors), as well as online businesses and online marketplaces. The transformation of the directive into a regulation also creates a solid legal framework to guarantee that products are safe and comply with European standards.

Following the formal adoption of the regulation and its entry into force, member states now have 18 months to apply the new rules on general product safety.

To access the detailed regulation, go here . https://germany.representation.ec.europa.eu/news/rail-traffic-better-protection-and-more-pleasant-travel-experience-for-riding-guests-2023-06-07_en

https://www.urban-initiative.eu/https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/screen/expert-groups/consult?lang=en&groupID=3838https://public-buyers-community.ec.europa.eu/news/public-procurement-data-space-unlocking-wealth-eu-public-procurement-data-europehttps://www.eu-japan.eu/events/world-class-manufacturing-mission-I

Source: EU Commission