Welcome to the European Parliamentary Research Service Podcasts.

In this podcast, we'll talk about the new general product safety regulation with which the EU wants to address challenges linked to new technologies and online sales. Stay with us.

The EU single market is one of the safest markets in the world.

This is thanks to the strict rules and conditions for products to be placed in this market

and the controls to prevent abuse and fraud.

And yet, too many unsafe products still reach consumers.

And accidents due to unsafe products cost European consumers about 11.5 billion euros per year.

According to Safety Gates' 2020 annual report, about 25% of all notifications of dangerous products made by national market surveillance authorities

concerned products sold online, while at least 62% concerned products coming from outside the

EU and the European Economic Area.

Currently, the main pillar ensuring the safety of non-food products sold in the EU is the general

product safety directive. Most of its provisions apply to non-harmonised products, such as

furniture or clothes, whose technical or other characteristics are not covered by EU harmonising

legislation. But the directive also acts as a safety net for harmonized

products. It lays down requirements for producers, importers and distributors, as well as rules

for market surveillance and enforcement by national authorities. The directive also provides

for a rapid alert system between Member States and the Commission

in case of dangerous products that present a serious risk to consumers.

But markets change fast and the rules were becoming outdated.

Eckhart Binder works for the European Parliamentary Research Service.

In the 20 years since the adoption of the current Direct, we have seen a rapid growth of online shopping and the rise of new technologies, such as AI and connected devices.

However, it's not clear whether the directive covers such technologies.

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