General Product Safety Directive
2001/95/EC Product Safety Act ProdSG
With the General Product Safety Directive, the EU has cast a net that applies to all products within the European Economic Area. This also applies if a CE directive, such as the directive on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), is applicable to a product. Other directives, e.g. the Machinery Directive, in turn cover this area completely, which means that the requirements according to 2001/95/EC then no longer apply.
If only the Product Safety Directive applies to a product, this product may not bear a CE marking and an EU Declaration of Conformity may not be issued. You can find background information on this EU regulation for non-food products at the website of our partner ProductIP.
Important notes on this directive / Product Safety Directive compact:
- If only the Product Safety Directive (Directive 2001/95/EC on general product safety) applies to a product, this product may not bear a CE marking and an EU Declaration of Conformity may not be issued. If you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to contact us.
- It is expected that from/as of July 16, 2021, the EU Market Surveillance Regulation (MÜ-VO) with the directive number 2019/1020 will come into force. This will replace the current Market Surveillance Regulation and contains far-reaching changes. For example, the new MÜ-VO will improve the possibilities for market surveillance authorities to review the requirements of the Product Safety Directive. We strongly advise you to make preparations in this regard now.
These products are exclusively affected by the general product safety directive
As a rule of thumb, all equipment that ...
- are not electrically operated,
- have no conductors,
- have no measuring function,
- have no protective function,
- are not intended for play,
- do not store energy
are likely to fall exclusively under the general product safety directive. Examples are bicycles, simple furniture, decorative items, textiles, jewelry, shoes.
Legally compliant implementation of the General Product Safety Directive
Even if an EU declaration of conformity does not have to be drawn up for the products concerned, the implementation of the respective requirements must still be documented and the product correctly labeled.
-> Only those who act in compliance with the law are safely protected from official sanctions. We help you to implement the necessary measures.
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