Brussels, 03/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - It is time for an end to dangerous gas cigarette lighters, which often fall into the hands of children. On 2 February, the European Commission voiced its willingness for the rapid adoption of a decision to ban gas lighters without child safety devices from the market of the EU, irrespective of whether they are produced in the EU or imported from third countries. A proposed decision to this end has been on the table for over a year, but discussions with the Member States have, up to now, borne no fruit. The Commission will therefore return to the attack in the very near future, with a revised version of this proposal, which will be put to the vote of the regulatory committee instituted by the directive on the general safety of products (directive 2001/95/EC), on 8 and 9 February. Its aim is to require producers and importers of cigarette lighters, within the EU, to fit their product out with a security device to prevent their being used by children.
It is thought that children playing with lighters leads to the death of around 40 people- most of whom are children- and injures even more (between 50 and 90,000) in the EU each year. This takes no account of the considerable attendant material damage. However, with an average additional cost to the consumer of just four euro cents per lighter, such tragedies could easily be avoided, the Commission stresses.
"A European standard was drafted by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) in 2002, but no one is applying it within the EU", Philip Tod, spokesperson to the Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Markos Kyprianou, told the press. If a voluntary standard of application is not enough to convince the Member States to take action, the Commission has no other choice than to go down the path of legislation. In response to questions put by the press, the spokesperson acknowledged "a certain resistance on the part of the Member States", then immediately added that "Markos Kyprianou has written to all the ministers of the EU. The Commission hopes that they will get behind the text next week". The Commission is prepared to consider a transition period to allow producers of cigarette lighters, both inside and outside the EU, to adapt to these new measures, he said.
The legislative option has proved its worth in all countries which have legislated. There have been laws in place since 1995 requiring cigarette lighters to have a safety device in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. An American study from 2002 shows that since this law was adopted, the number of those killed and injured, and the extent of material damage due to fires caused by children, have fallen 60%. "I call upon the Member States to help us to protect our children. For a negligible sum, producers and importers can apply safety standards which they are able to respect, without any apparent problems, in other parts of the world when legally obliged to do so. For four euro cents, they can virtually save a child's life. Is it too much to ask of them? As the producers refuse to apply the standards in question on a voluntary basis, we have no other choice but to legislate", Markos Kyprianou states in a press release
On 19 January, the European Consumers' Organisation (BEUC) itself called upon the Member States to approve the proposed decision, which six Member States have steadfastly opposed (France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Greece, "with the support of the major European producers and exporting countries such as China", according to BEUC). The consumers' rights defence organisation launched this appeal on the eve of the signature of a protocol of understanding between the EU and the Chinese authorities on product safety.
"We are extremely disappointed by the attitude of certain Member States, which are refusing to deal with this child safety issue. How many more children must be harmed before they will deign to take the measures necessary?", asked Ms Gottlobe Fabisch, Secretary General of ANEC, the European Association for the Coordination of Consumer Representation in Standardisation.