As reported by the Council of the European Union, on 25 April 2023 it adopted the General Product Safety Regulation, which introduces stricter safety rules for products sold both online and offline. The regulation will improve market surveillance for unsafe products, enhance product safety and consumer protection, while reinforcing consumer rights for buyers of unsafe products at the same time. The regulation also makes it easier to repair, return or replace unsafe products. Specifically:
- Online marketplaces must cooperate with market surveillance authorities if they discover a dangerous product on their platform and they must specify a central contact point responsible for product safety.
- Online marketplaces can in future be obliged by order of the market surveillance authorities to remove dangerous products from their platforms or to block access to them.
- Uniform monitoring rules for the entire internal market should apply to all products.
- If a product has been found to be unsafe, economic operators must take corrective action without delay and notify the market surveillance authorities and consumers accordingly.
- If a product needs to be recalled, consumers are entitled to a repair, replacement or refund (and they can choose between at least two of these options).
- Economic operators are to designate a person responsible for products sold online and offline to ensure that technical documentation, instructions and safety information are available, regardless of the origin of the products.
We will be pleased to advise you about solutions with which you can secure your sales success story in the field of product safety. Please call +49/40/75068730-0 or send an e-mail to beratung@trade-e-bility.de.
