Once again thousands of notifications about unsafe products were made to Safety Gate, the EU’s rapid alert system in 2021, a total of 2142 notifications to be exact. The notifications only represent the tip of the iceberg, as the precise number of dangerous products linked to a notification is unknown and only the most harmful risks are notified.

A compilation of research by BEUC members – national consumer groups – shows online marketplaces continue to be a source of dangerous products. These marketplaces should be liable for selling such products, which is why BEUC urges policymakers to get ongoing reforms of EU law right.

Today, the European Parliament approved an ‘own-initiative report’ on safer toys. This report sets out Parliament’s expectations for a revision of toy safety law later this year.

The European Commission today presented a proposal to reform the bloc’s main product safety law, called the General Product Safety Directive. Consumer groups welcome that the Commission proposes to improve the law in light of today’s product safety challenges, while retaining the spirit and strong points of the existing law.