Brussels, 16/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - In 2012, a total of 2,278 measures against dangerous non-food products were taken by member states and reported in the EU Rapid Information system (RAPEX). This indicates a 26% rise in alerts when compared to 2011 figures. According to the annual RAPEX report published by the European Commission on 16 May, 58% of the total number of notifications on products presenting a serious risk were related to products coming from China. The Commission explains that this increase could be attributed to the improved enforcement work carried out by the authorities in EU countries and the volume of Chinese toy imports but consumer rights organisations are concerned. In 2012, clothing, textiles and fashion items (34% of alerts), followed by toys (19%), electrical appliances (11%), motor vehicles (8%) and cosmetics (4%) were the main product categories for which corrective measures had to be taken.
Tonio Borg, the commissioner in charge of health and consumer policy, presented the report and said the bad news is that there are still rather unsafe products circulating in the EU but the good news is that enforcement actions have increased and the EU has introduced a very good safety system that it was trying to improve through the labelling of non-food products. He added that labels on the origins of products would be adopted so that all products that raised safety concerns could be traced. Although notifications of dangerous toys from China have increased (in 2011 they fell from 58% to 54% but have gone back up to 58% as in 2010), the commissioner attempted to provide reassurances regarding their, “very good bilateral cooperation with the Chinese authorities. The RAPEX report has been translated into Chinese and all notifications involving Chinese products have been sent to China. There are signs of improvement even if the overall volume of trade is still very high”.
Risks of injuries and strangulation are often identified in children's clothing with drawstrings and cords creating the risk of strangulation or suffocation or the presence of certain chemical products in materials; for toys and electrical appliances risks of physical accidents occurring that result from their use or their chemical composition (skin irritation, risk of strangulation, injuries, electric shocks, and suffocation). Altogether, these kinds of risks accounted for 80% of notifications.
The European Consumers' Organisation (BEUC) is alarmed by this news. Monique Goyens, Director General of BEUC said that, “every year, the figures unfortunately show us that too many risky goods still reach the shelves of our shops. Monitoring authorities just aren't managing to stop the flow of hazardous items”. In a reference to the regulation proposed in February on market monitoring (EUROPE 10785), Goyens added that “more financial and human resources to supervise markets are indispensable steps. European countries should promptly pursue these. We also need to see better coordination of controls which are proportionate to the number of goods in question. Checking a product in each country when the bulk enters the EU at a single harbour does not make sense. Governments should quickly agree on European Commission plans for better cooperation at EU level and more effective controls”. (AN/trans.fl)