Brussels, 09/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission will soon adopt a Decision requiring all lighters placed on the market in the EU to provide child-resistant devices. Member States at the General Product Safety Committee have given the go-ahead for this initiative (EUROPE 9124). Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou welcomed this advance which will help save lives and prevent many injuries. Every year in the European Union, an estimated 34 to 40 people, often children, are killed in fires caused by young children playing with unsafe lighters and between 50,000 and 90,000 injuries are caused, as well as significant material damages. In a press release Commissioner Kyprianou stated, “I welcome the industry's willingness to cooperate with the Commission and the Member States on the implementation of this measure. We will be working with Member States to make sure this piece of legislation is complied with.” Other countries, such as the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, which have been applying similar measures for many years, have experienced a sharp reduction in casualties. This has led to a 60% reduction in fires, injuries and deaths due to young children playing with lighters. Major European and Asian lighter producers already have the know-how because they have already been exporting child-resistant lighters for years to countries which have legislation in place on child-resistant lighters. Production costs for adding a child-resistance device to a lighter are estimated at around 4 centimes per lighter.
Once adopted, the measure will apply to all lighters manufactured in the EU and those imported from third countries. While awaiting for the standard to be adopted, the EU would be able to continue exporting lighters that are not child resistant to countries that want them.
The draft decision will be sent to Parliament which will have a month to examine the case. It could then be formally adopted by the Commission. Member States will then have four months to transpose it into internal law. Industry will have six months to adapt its production chain.