On Wednesday 25 November, the European Parliament almost unanimously (688 votes in favour to 8 against, with 1 abstention) adopted a report by Marion Walsmann (EPP, Germany) in which the need to adapt product safety rules to the digital age is highlighted.
“Existing product safety rules have to be made fit for the digital age, since products with emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence embedded in them challenge these rules”, the rapporteur said. She also emphasised that the rules should be the same for both online and offline sales. MEPs pointed out that gaps have been exposed by the pandemic and the dramatic increase in the volume of products sold online.
The MEPs highlighted the traceability of products throughout the supply chain. They expect digital platforms to take action against misleading practices and disinformation. They also want safety rules to be adjusted to take account of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, robotics and 3D printing in particular. They therefore called for the terms “products” and “safe products” to be redefined when the General Product Safety Directive is revised.
Although MEPs welcomed the 2019/1020 regulation on market surveillance (see EUROPE 12190/9), they emphasised its limitations, noting that it only applies to products that are subject to EU harmonisation legislation, and that approximately a third of all products on sale in the EU are non-harmonised products. They therefore called on the Commission to take action to develop market surveillance rules for both harmonised and non-harmonised products.
The report can be found at: https://bit.ly/39hFBlj (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)