The general safety of products citizens use in daily life will be guaranteed from now on by new legislation, with a significant contribution from the S&D Group and its negotiator, René Repasi, in the European Parliament’s Committee on the internal market and consumer protection (IMCO). In a vote in the committee today, the S&D Group succeeded in ensuring there is a safety net for products, that gives manufacturers and other market players clear responsibilities and includes strict obligations for online marketplaces. From now on, there will be better controls over the safety of products on the EU market - be they produced in the European Union or imported from third countries. In the case of an imported product, it will be mandatory to have a person within the EU who will be responsible for its safety.

René Repasi MEP, S&D negotiator on the General Product Safety Regulation in the Committee on internal market and consumer protection, said:

“For us, the Socialists and Democrats, it was crucial to include specific provisions for online marketplaces and we made sure they are there. If marketplaces fail to comply with the new rules, they will be held responsible with financial penalties. This is in harmony with another key S&D Group success, the negotiations on the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act, where our group was guided by the principle that what is illegal offline must remain illegal online too. I am happy the new rules for the safety of products are extended to new and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and connected devices. This means the legislation we create is adequate for the fast pace of change in the world of technology and the devices used more and more in the daily lives of our citizens.

“As the S&D Group, we were ready to go beyond the Commission’s proposal and increase the level of product safety in the EU. However, a strong conservative majority wanted to lower the ambition of the European Parliament’s position. The S&Ds not only prevented this but also managed to safeguard product safety levels in the EU. Furthermore, we would have preferred to have a public debate on the appropriate level of protection for EU citizens against harmful products coming from within and outside the EU. The adoption of the report in the parliamentary committee sends a clear signal to the member states: we are ready to fight for strong product safety rules and protect European consumers. The next step for the European Parliament is to begin negotiations with the Council of the EU on the future rules for product safety.”