Press Release: Safer products and a level playing field in the internal market

The European Commission proposed 13 February 2013 new rules to improve the safety of consumer products circulating in the Single Market and to step-up market surveillance concerning all non-food products, including those imported from 3rd countries.

This will contribute both to strengthening consumer protection and to creating a level playing field for businesses. Unsafe products should not reach consumers or other users and their improved identification and traceability will be a key improvement that will help to take them quickly out of the market.

Once adopted by the European Parliament and by the Council the new rules will be enforced by the national market surveillance authorities in the Member States which will benefit from strengthened cooperation and enhanced tools to carry out controls.

The two legislative proposals are complemented by a multi-annual plan for market surveillance setting out 20 concrete actions to be undertaken from now to 2015 to improve market surveillance under the current regulatory framework and until the new rules come into effect.

• Primary Source

European Commission: MEMO/13/93: Product Safety and Market Surveillance Package 2013 - Questions and answers http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-93_en.htm

European Commission: SPEECH/13/119: Adoption of Product Safety and Market Surveillance Package 2013 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-13-119_en.htm

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