| Author (Corporate) | European Commission: DG Communication |
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| Series Title | Press Release |
| Series Details | IP/08/879 (05.06.08) |
| Publication Date | 05/06/2008 |
| Content Type | News |
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On 5 June, 2008, in Brussels European Consumer Affairs Commissioner Meglena Kuneva presented a report by independent experts entitled 'Evaluating Business Safety Measures in the Toy Supply Chain.' The Report was carried out at the initiative of the European Commission, as a follow up to the Commission's product safety Stocktaking review in Autumn 2007. The stocktaking was undertaken after a series of high profile recalls to review the strengths and weaknesses of the existing mechanisms to ensure product safety in Europe. The expert report represents the results of a five-month analysis of product safety measures in the toy supply chain. The main conclusion of the research is to underline that product safety cannot be guaranteed by final product testing alone but that it has to be a key part of the 'quality culture' of an organisation and needs to be embedded in the entire product supply chain. The evaluation found that Chinese authorities and manufacturers have made significant progress in tackling toy safety concerns. Amongst the key conclusions, the report found that it is the smaller players in the market, such as small European importers and traders and small Chinese manufacturers that tend to be the weak link in the product safety chain. They find it most difficult to fully understand and ensure compliance with the applicable legislation and standards. A second area where weaknesses have been detected is in relation to the expertise available within Member States' enforcement practices and the role of the testing laboratories. The report set out a series of practical recommendations addressed to each of the stakeholders in the supply chain to strengthen safety controls. |
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| Source Link | Link to Main Source http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/879&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en |
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| Subject Categories | Business and Industry |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
