Published on: 15 June 2023
New EU General Product Safety Regulation entered into force on 12 June 2023.
The new General Product Safety Regulation, which provides a real ‘safety net’ for consumers addressing the safety of products or risks not regulated in other EU legislation, also addresses digitalisation challenges (for example, increased online sales) as well as risks related to new technology products with additional focus on the following:
- Key elements such as the evolving nature of a product or its interconnectivity in the safety assessment of consumer products;
- Improving the conditions for product safety between online and offline sales;
- Establishing specific product safety requirements for online marketplaces to protect consumers against dangerous products sold via online marketplaces;
- Extending the obligation for all non-harmonised products imported to the EU to have an economic operator in the EU responsible for the product safety issues;
- Providing national authorities with necessary tools, thus stepping up their enforcement powers;
- Ensuring effective product recalls by requiring direct contacts of consumers and standardised recall notices.
Regulation (EU) 2023/988 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 on general product safety can be accessed here – EUR-Lex – 32023R0988 – EN – EUR-Lex (europa.eu).
