Brussels, 12/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - 2,244. That is the record number of unsafe consumer products banned, withdrawn or recalled last year after being found on the European market and flagged up by member states (an increase of 13% on 2009). This is good news for consumer safety and a feather in the cap of RAPEX, the EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products (apart from pharmaceutical products and medical equipment), the annual report of which was published by the European Commission on Thursday 12 May. This report, just like those of previous years, testifies to the ever-increasing capacity and efficiency of the system which was put in place in 2004, but it also reveals room for improvement. The most frequently notified products were clothing and textiles (32%, 625 notifications for risks of suffocation or irritation), toys (25%, 488 notifications mainly for risk of strangling), motor vehicles (9%, 175 notifications for risk of injury); then come electrical goods (8%, 158 notifications for risk of electric shock), childcare articles and children's equipment (4%, 72 notifications). These products accounted for more than 80% of all notifications of serious risks.
China still heads the list of countries from where detected dangerous products originate. However, EU-China cooperation is increasing and beginning to bear fruit, as can be seen in the slight decrease in the number of notifications (58%, compared with 60% in 2009). European Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner John Dalli and Chinese Minister of General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), who is visiting Brussels, highlighted this improvement on Thursday speaking to the press about the report.
Dalli attributes the success of RAPEX in 2010 to more active product safety enforcement by national authorities and better cooperation with one another, along with more partnerships between the EU and third countries. He said that the priority now is to ensure safety at source, not only in the EU but also in the third country suppliers, such as China. “Companies must design out safety risks from the start, manufacturers must manage the quality of the manufacturing process, checking the final products coming off the conveyor belt”, he said. Suppliers have to be told of the requirements that imported goods need to satisfy. Zhi Shuping said that his country was on the same wavelength. “The Chinese government attaches great importance to product safety, which is crucial to safety and consumer health. We are working hard to guarantee product safety for our consumers through closer inspection and monitoring, and the government has stepped up its efforts on monitoring product quality and Chinese companies”, he stated, adding that, in 2011, more work had been done to inform exporting companies of the standards in force in the EU and to tackle counterfeiting. He said that, since RAPEX China was set up in 2006, increased Chinese investigation and sharing of results with the EU had enhanced the reliability of textile and household electrical goods and toys. Since 2006, AQSIQ had followed up 1,499 RAPEX notifications. In 2010, more than 430 notifications referred to Chinese goods. Only 15% of Chinese products complied fully with standards. “The high number of alerts for goods that do not meet required standards is linked to makers, to exporters, to design and to standards. We have to look closely at the responsibility of makers, suppliers and exporters, and to increase our efforts”, the Chinese minister acknowledged.
ANEC, the European consumer voice in the process of setting standards, says that, while the increase in the number of alerts is proof that RAPEX is working, it also shows that too many dangerous products are still slipping through the net. “More efforts, and particularly resources, are still needed to improve market surveillance”, says Secretary General Stephen Russell. Monique Goyens, Director General of BEUC, the European Consumers' Organisation added: “The upcoming review of the General Product Safety Directive (a legislative proposal from the Commission is expected in late 2011) should be the opportunity to set up an improved European framework for market surveillance and for better product traceability, requiring for instance manufacturers to mark their products with a batch or serial number”. (A.N./transl.rt)