The new EU regulation on general product safety came into force today, 12 June 2023.
The new rules aim to address the major social changes that have affected consumer product safety over the past 20 years, such as increasing digitisation, new technological developments, and globalised supply chains.
This updated framework will ensure that only safe products are offered to consumers, regardless of their origin and how they are sold (physical or online stores).
The aim of the new regulation on general product safety is to ensure that all consumer products on the EU market are safe. This also applies to non-food products, whether sold offline or online. The regulation provides for a real safety net for consumers as it regards, in fact, the safety of products or risks not regulated by other EU legislation.
This will be implemented through:
- key elements such as the evolving nature of a product or its interconnectivity in the consumer product safety assessment;
- improvement of product safety conditions between online and offline sales;
- establishing specific product safety requirements for online markets, in order to protect consumers from dangerous products sold via online markets;
- extending the obligation for all non-harmonised products imported into the EU to have an economic operator in the EU responsible for product safety issues;
- providing national authorities with the necessary instruments, thereby strengthening their implementing powers;
- ensuring effective recall of products by requiring direct consumer contact and standardised recall.
With the entry into force of the new regulation, the EU Commission has launched the call for applications for the 2023 edition of the EU Product Safety Award.
The competition brings together successful and talented businesses and researchers who want to make a difference to consumer safety. This year, it will focus on companies that innovate and invest to improve the safety of young people. Applications are open until 8 September 2023.
After a preliminary examination of eligibility, a jury of policy and security experts will select the finalists for each category. This year’s winners will be announced at the official gala ceremony in Brussels in December.