Other products
Consumer products that do not fall within the scope of any CE marking legislation, must meet the requirements defined by the General Product Safety Directive 2001/95/EC. On 12 June 2023 the renewed EU general product safety legislation has been finally adopted and entered into force as General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) 2023/988/EU. Key changes include the introduction of product safety obligations for online marketplaces, the obligation on manufacturers to conduct an internal risk assessment and draw up a technical documentation for their products; the obligation to have authorised representative (responsible person) established in the EU. The application of the GPSR is effective since 13 December 2024.
The General Product Safety Directive does not require affixing the CE marking or the issuance of an EU Declaration of Assessment. Manufacturers, however, must comply with this Directive.
Product Safety
The General Product Safety Directive requires manufacturers to place non other than safe products on the European market. A product is safe, when it meets all the relevant safety requirements under European law.
Manufacturers must provide consumers with the relevant information enabling them to assess the risks inherent in a product throughout the normal or reasonably foreseeable period of its use. Manufacturers must also take the appropriate actions against those risks, such as withdrawal from the market, adequately and effectively warning consumers, or a recall of the relevant products.
Distributors must do their utmost to comply with product safety, by avoiding to supply products of which they know or ought to know, on the basis of information in their possession, and as professionals, that these are incompatible with the essential safety requirements.