More dangerous consumer products taken off EU market last year

An increasing number of dangerous consumer products were taken off the European Union market last year thanks to better cooperation within the bloc, the European Commission said on Thursday.

In 2006, the Commission received a total of 924 notifications from member states concerning products with a serious risk to the health and safety of consumers, an increase of 32 percent over the previous year. There were 701 notifications in 2005.

Since the EU revised its rules governing non-food consumer product safety in Europe more than two years ago, the number of notifications relating to products presenting a serious risk had more than doubled in 2004-2006, the European Commission said.

Under the so-called Rapid Alert System for non-food consumer products, national authorities notify the Commission of dangerous products, with the exception of food, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. This information is rapidly shared among all other surveillance authorities in 30 European countries, and dangerous products are then banned or their sale is restricted on the market.

"This Rapid Alert System is a powerful watchdog and an excellent example of European value added," said European Commissioner for Consumer affairs Meglena Kuneva. "The constant increase in the number of measures notified is a good sign. It shows that vigilance across Europe is getting better and better."

The dangerous products notified last year ranged from teddy bears to hairdryers, cleaning sprays, mini-motorbikes, cigarette lighters and ski boot bindings, with toys taking over from electrical appliances as the product category most often notified for the first time.

Over 40 percent of all notifications concern voluntary measures taken by businesses, a clear sign of growing safety awareness on the part of European economic operators, the Commission said.

Source: Xinhua