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Protecting European consumers: toys and cars top the list of dangerous products detected

Today, the European Commission releases its 2017 report on the Rapid Alert System for dangerous products.

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Consumer policy

date:  12/03/2018

In 2017, the system was increasingly used by national authorities with more than 2,000 alerts on dangerous products circulated through the Rapid Alert System. Toys, for instance several models of the popular fidget spinners, cars and motorcycles topped the list of dangerous products detected and removed from the markets. 

The Rapid Alert System is an important tool for the enforcement of EU consumer laws by national consumer authorities. To further improve the enforcement, the Commission will unveil its 'New Deal for Consumers' in April, which aims at modernising the existing rules and improving the protection of consumers.

Věra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality said: "European consumer rules guarantee that only safe products are sold in the EU. If this is not the case, the Rapid Alert System supports authorities to react quickly and remove any products that might cause injuries. Thanks to this system, we are keeping our children safe and preventing fatal accidents on our roads. This is a good example of how to efficiently enforce EU consumer rules. Unfortunately, in many other areas we need to improve enforcement and make sure consumers can benefit from their rights. This is what our upcoming 'New Deal for Consumers' is all about.

The 2,201 alerts sent through the Rapid Alert System prompted nearly 4,000 follow-up actions, such as the withdrawal of products from the market. This shows that all national authorities closely monitored the alerts in the system and took all necessary measures to help make the market safer for consumers.

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