GOTHENBERG, Sweden—Last year the number of dangerous consumer products withdrawn from the EU market rose by 16% compared to 2007, according to the “RAPEX” report released late last month. Nearly two thirds came from China.
The total number rose from 1,605 notifications to 1,866 in 2008. Most of the dangerous products in 2008 were toys, children’s items such as bicycles, baby walkers, and cots, electrical products, and motor vehicles.
The number of notifications on the 909 Chinese products sent through RAPEX increased from 52 percent in 2007 to 59 percent in 2008. The growing tendency finds context in a number of factors, including increased imports to the European Union (EU) from China, stronger national enforcements on Chinese products, and more effective cooperation between the EU and China, according to the report.
“This report sends a very clear message that there is no room for complacency when it comes to safety. The biggest challenge for 2009 is to make sure that product safety is not set aside during this period of economic crisis, that business continues to respect their duties toward consumers and that Member States allocate sufficient resources to enforcement. Safety is not a luxury,” said Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva in the press release from RAPEX.
All EU countries participated in the RAPEX system. The countries that made most notifications were Germany (205 notifications), Spain (163), Slovakia (140), Greece (132) and Hungary (129).
The total number rose from 1,605 notifications to 1,866 in 2008. Most of the dangerous products in 2008 were toys, children’s items such as bicycles, baby walkers, and cots, electrical products, and motor vehicles.
The number of notifications on the 909 Chinese products sent through RAPEX increased from 52 percent in 2007 to 59 percent in 2008. The growing tendency finds context in a number of factors, including increased imports to the European Union (EU) from China, stronger national enforcements on Chinese products, and more effective cooperation between the EU and China, according to the report.
“This report sends a very clear message that there is no room for complacency when it comes to safety. The biggest challenge for 2009 is to make sure that product safety is not set aside during this period of economic crisis, that business continues to respect their duties toward consumers and that Member States allocate sufficient resources to enforcement. Safety is not a luxury,” said Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva in the press release from RAPEX.
All EU countries participated in the RAPEX system. The countries that made most notifications were Germany (205 notifications), Spain (163), Slovakia (140), Greece (132) and Hungary (129).
Friends Read Free