Erik Hansson

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Market surveillance under the General Product
Safety Directive (GPSD)

• Erik Hansson
• European Commission
• DG Health and Consumer Protection

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The General Product Safety Directive (GPSD)

• Applies to consumer products
• Waives for requirements on same aspects in
  specific legislation

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Business-obligations

• Produce and sell only safe products
• Monitor and follow up safety trace, take
  actions and notify
• Co-operate with authorities

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Member-States obligations

• Control market surveillance and enforcement
• Reporting
• Co-operation

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European Commission obligations

• Monitor
• Support
• Recognise standards
• Rapid EU decisions

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Ensuring the safety of consumer products

• Pre-market (preventive)
• Conformity assessment requirements for many
  products falling under sectoral legislation
• Post-market (reparative)
• Monitoring and safety management requirements in
  GPSD

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Organisation of Market Surveillance in Member
States

• Geographical
• National
• Regional
• Local
• Type of product

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The essential market surveillance requirements of
the GPSD

• Somebody to do the job
• Defined tasks and organisation
• Investigation powers
• Encourage voluntary actions
• Powers to require corrective actions
• Sanctions

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The Essential operational requirements of the GPSD

• Surveillance programmes
• Cooperation arrangements
• Scientific and technical knowledge
• Complaints and notification procedures
• Evaluation and review

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Transparency

• Citizens right to know
• Except
• Professional secrecy
• Investigation secrets

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Commission support

• Networking
• Information exchange
• Tracing and recall
• Exchange of expertise and best practices

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Commission support

• Joint surveillance projects
• Specific products
• Communication systems (ICSMS)
• Injury data registration
• Best practice in market surveillance (PROSAFE)

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Commission control

• Continuos
• Information exchange, RAPEX, complaints, etc.
• Regular Commission reports
• In depth assessment

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• Rapid Alerts (RAPEX)
• Notifications from Member States on measures
  ordered by authorities or voluntary measures by
  business concerning consumer products causing a
  serious risk
• Excludes foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medical
  devices.
• Link Overviews of RAPEX notifications
• http//ec.europa.eu/comm/dgs/health_consumer/dyna/
  rapex/rapex_archives.cfm

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Authority A
Authority B
Contact points in Member States
Authority D
Authority C
DG B
DG A
DG Health and Consumer Protection
DG C
DG D
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• International co-operation
• USA CPSC
• China - AQSIQ
• ICPSC
• International standardisation ISO/COPOLCO

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• Guidance documents
• Borderline to sectoral directives
• Business notification duty
• RAPEX operation
• Recall guideline

• http//ec.europa.eu/comm/consumers/
• Consumer safety
• Products and services