Directive on Product Safety 2021/0170 – COD – Ordinary legislative procedure (ex-co-decision procedure)
The EU rules on product safety are defined within the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) 2001/95. Under this directive a product can only be deemed safe if it meets all statutory safety requirements under European or national law. The EU legislator is seeking to repeal the GSPD and amend regulation 2012/1025 that deals with the standardisation, trademarks and certifications of products falling within the scope of the GPSD. The goal is to replace the existing GPSD by a Regulation on Product Safety. The new proposal was issued on 30 June 2021 and is currently being review by Members of the European Parliament inside the specific relevant committees.
In substance, the EU legislator considers that the GPSD has not been able to efficiently combat the problem of unsafe products still circulating the EU market. Thus, the proposal aims to update the general framework for the safety of non-food consumer products and to address the new challenges for the safety of products within online selling.
Therefore, the European Parliament’s proposed changes include: (1) A new EU legal framework needing to provide for general safety rules for all consumer products and safety risks including those link to new technologies (2) Make product recalls more effective and efficient to keep unsafe products away from consumers and (3) enhance market surveillance and ensure better alignment for rules surrounding both harmonised and non-harmonised consumer products. Overall, the new product safety legislation will be expected to ensure a level-playing field for businesses and to provide more clarity ab out the handling of unsafe products circulating within the EU product market.
https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/ficheprocedure.do?reference=2021/0170(COD)&l=en
