Late on Thursday 10 April, the Council of the European Union and MEPs reached an agreement on the directive amending the safety requirements for toys sold in the single European market (see EUROPE 13533/31).
The third inter-institutional negotiation meeting (trilogue) resulted in a point of agreement welcomed by the rapporteur for the European Parliament, Marion Walsmann (EPP, German), a member of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO).
“This agreement sends out a strong signal: for the protection of our children, fair competition and for Europe as a business location” she said in a post on X.
The new rules cover certain types of harmful chemicals: the directive extends the existing ban on carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR) chemicals to other dangerous substances, such as endocrine disruptors.
The agreement also bans skin sensitisers and toys treated with biocides (with the exception of outdoor toys).
The text also introduces a ban, albeit limited, on the intentional use of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl synthetic chemical substances that degrade extremely slowly) in toys.
Exemptions have been saved, in particular for the components needed for the electronic parts of a toy to work properly.
The introduction of a digital passport for products containing security information, which can be scanned by border control authorities using a new IT system, was also endorsed by both parties.
The new text also recognises the risk that certain toys can pose to children’s mental health, particularly when they incorporate ‘reward mechanisms’. This pressure was deemed “unreasonable, even harmful” by MEPs.
The agreement provides for a period of 4.5 years to enable the industry to implement these new requirements.
The text of the agreement still has to be officially approved by the EU27 ambassadors and the plenary session of the European Parliament before being published in the Official Journal. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)