Brussels, 25/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - According to the European Commission report published on 23 March (see EUROPE 11280), warnings on dangerous non-food consumer products made to the EU's rapid alert system (RAPEX) increased to nearly 2,500 in 2014. According to the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), this figure demonstrates how important it is for the EU to adopt the EU product safety and market surveillance laws to improve EU-wide cooperation - drafted in February 2013 but which have still not been passed due to a stalemate at a Council level (see EUROPE 11225).
Monique Goyens, director general of the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), commented, “Unsafe toys and clothing top the EU's dangerous products early warning system. Year after year we are reminded that product safety cannot and must not be taken for granted. Investing in meaningful market monitoring is less a luxury than a necessity”. She added, “Consumer markets are increasingly globalising and moving online. EU governments have done us a disservice by parking the long-needed product safety law update”.
BEUC is delighted with the simplification of the information search system on the RAPEX Internet site but pointed out that “in the end it should not be the consumer's job to click through a database before shopping. They should be able to trust that only safe products reach the shops”. (Aminata Niang)