The EU recorded an unprecedented number of warnings on dangerous consumer goods in 2023, almost double the number in 2022, Brussels Signal reports.
A key factor behind this surge was the growing volume of goods imported from China.
This sharp rise in reports of EU product safety breaches was highlighted during the launch of Safety Gate’s 2024 report by European Commissioner for Consumer Protection Michael McGrath on April 16. McGrath said:
“Online sales have grown dramatically in recent years. A significant portion of these products blatantly fail to meet our stringent safety standards and regulations, posing serious risks to consumer safety and also creating unfair competition for all of those companies who do abide by the EU rules.”
EU authorities have increased their use of the Safety Gate platform – a rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products – with a record 4,137 alerts issued last year, the highest number since the system was launched in 2003.
“Year after year, the Commission has strengthened and modernised its tools to ensure that the products entering our homes are safe. At the heart of this effort is the Safety Gate Rapid Alert system, which enables us to swiftly address the risks posed by dangerous goods across the EU. The results speak for themselves, and I look forward to continuing this work to ensure we leave no blind spots in our oversight,” McGrath said.
During his presentation, he demonstrated some of the products registering ambiguous hazard levels.
One item was a poorly designed adapter that could potentially electrocute the user and had several erroneous labels. Another product was a baby doll that contained phthalates, hazardous chemicals added to plastic to make it more flexible, transparent, strong and durable.
The third item was a pair of children’s swimming shorts with “too long ties.” According to the commissioner, this could lead to children getting tangled up in something which could cause them serious harm.
The Safety Gate platform was developed to help prevent harm to consumers by providing rapid communication between EU countries about dangerous products found on the market.
Cosmetics topped the list of products flagged, accounting for 36% of all alerts, followed by toys (15%), electrical appliances (10%), motor vehicles (9%) and chemical products (6%).
Chemical risks underpinned almost half of the warnings. Substances such as cadmium, nickel and lead were found in jewellery, while allergenic fragrances were found in body oils.
Other dangerous synthetic chemicals have been found in items such as clothing, especially those used to soften plastic.
Shockingly, 97% of cosmetics on the list contained BMHCA, a banned synthetic fragrance linked to reproductive harm and skin irritation.
Despite the EU recently adopting stricter e-commerce rules against Chinese goods from retailers such as Shein and Temu, as well as removing the exemption from customs duties on imports worth less than €150, 40% of the warnings concerned goods from China.
The EU has already launched DCA proceedings against Temu and has requested more information from Shein.
After the US raised tariffs on China, fears grew that Beijing could dump huge quantities of artificially cheapened goods on the European market, leading to an even greater increase in dangerous products in Europe.
In response to the report, the EU’s China Chamber of Commerce told Financial Times newspaper that the media should “avoid politicising trade and product safety issues.”
“Ensuring the safety of goods in the EU market is a shared responsibility and we remain committed to working collaboratively with European partners to uphold high standards across global supply chains,” the organisation said.
Until now, Brussels authorities have only played a co-ordinating role in enforcing consumer protection laws.
But in light of the growing number of warnings, the European Commission said it was considering changing this position. McGrath said:
“For certain violations that are systemic and inherently cross-border, the Commission could be granted centralised investigative and enforcement powers. While no decision had been made yet, he added that he as “inclined to propose such a regulation.”
