The EU General Product Safety Regulation – What’s new?
08 nov. 2024
New general product safety legislation mandatory in the EU from December 13 2024.
Official Journal. The General Product Safety Regulation, (EU) 2023/988 replaces the current GPSD (General Product Safety Directive) 2001/95/EC – implemented in Sweden as Produktsäkerhetslagen 2004:451 – from December 13, 2024.
The objective of the new Regulation is to modernise the EU general product safety framework and address the new challenges posed by new technologies and the growth of online sales, as well as improving market surveillance and recalls of dangerous products.
The regulation covers all products placed or made available on the market except for a small number of product categories specified in Article 2.2, such as pharmaceuticals, food, feed, plants / animals (and their by-products), aircraft and antiques.
To all other products, the following applies “Where products are subject to specific safety requirements imposed by Union law, this Regulation applies only to those aspects and risks or categories of risks which are not covered by those requirements”
The most important update in from the previous legislation is the implementation of Cyber Security requirements stated in Article 6.1 (g)
“when required by the nature of the product, the appropriate cybersecurity features necessary to protect the product against external influences, including malicious third parties, where such an influence might have an impact on the safety of the product, including the possible loss of interconnection”;
Another important update is the inclusion of specific product safety requirements for economic operators providing online sales. These include the requirement to clearly and visibly indicate any relevant product information, as well as obligations in case of product safety-related accidents.
The Swedish Consumer Agency (Konsumentverket) remains the responsible market surveillance authority.
Futher reading at EU Commission.
