Upload
others
View
3
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
2016Rapid Alert System for dangerous productsWorking together to keep consumers safe2016 ANNUAL REPORT
Justice and Consumers
More information on the European Union is available on the internet (http://europa.eu).Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2017
Print ISBN 978-92-79-64424-5 doi:10.2838/069613 DS-05-16-087-EN-CPDF ISBN 978-92-79-64423-8 doi:10.2838/401010 DS-05-16-087-EN-N
© European Union, 2017Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 1R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT
Commissioner’s forewordI am proud to present the results of the Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products for 2016. The results confirm that there is healthy cooperation at European level to ensure that if any dangerous products are found on our markets they are quickly removed to keep consumers safe.
The Rapid Alert System, established in 2004, is operated by an experienced network of 31 national authorities assisted by the European Commission. Every week, around 50 alerts are registered and published on the web. Our efforts are now focusing on further modernisation of the system based on feedback received from system users: consumers, businesses and authorities. Important changes are already being made to our webpages, such as allowing users to customise the information according to their needs. Further changes will be made to the system in 2017, in particular by focusing more on spreading information through social media. Last year’s case of ‘exploding’ phones yet again demonstrated the importance of the rapid exchange of information on product safety.
This year we marked 10 years of official cooperation with the Chinese authorities in the area of product safety. China is one of Europe’s key trading partners and an important supplier of consumer goods. This steady cooperation with the Chinese authorities in charge of import and export inspection of consumer products (AQSIQ (1)) has facilitated the monitoring, supervision and withdrawal of unsafe products produced in China that were destined for the EU market and it has helped trace economic operators involved in the trade of unsafe products.
In 2016, we also focussed on the challenges of e-commerce and its implications for consumer safety. The rapid growth of e-commerce requires a tailor-made approach to ensure that products sold online and shipped directly to consumers are safe. Based on extensive analysis and consultation, the Commission is preparing a set of guidelines to help national authorities and businesses cope with these challenges. In parallel, the European Commission has been working with online platforms regarding cooperation in detecting dangerous products. The safety of products sold online remains a key issue for the coming years.
(1) General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in China.
Věra JourováCommissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality
R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 3R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT
Table of contents
ABOUT THIS REPORT 4
1. General statistics by Member State 5
2. Notifications 7
2.1. Total number of notifications concerning products posing a risk to consumers’ health and/or safety 7
2.2. Which countries sent information to the Rapid Alert System about measures taken against dangerous products? 8
2.2.1. Cooperation with online platforms 9
2.3. What products were the subject of notifications? 10
2.3.1. Keeping European children safe 11
2.4. Coordinated market surveillance in Europe: an extra boost to achieve a safer market 13
2.5. What risks were signalled in the notifications? 14
3. Reactions 15
3.1. Reactions to notifications 15
3.2. Tracing dangerous products 16
3.2.1. RAPEX-China: a 10-year old partnership 19
3.3. Which countries sent reactions? 21
3.4. What dangerous products received reactions? 22
3.5. What were the risks signalled in reactions? 23
3.6. What measures were reported? 24
3.7. What information was provided in the reactions? 26
4 2016 ANNUAL REPORT R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS
About this report
The Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products enables quick circulation of the information sent by national authorities on the measures taken against products posing a risk to consumers’ health and safety. This allows enforcement authorities in the countries that are members of the network to swiftly follow up on the notifications and to screen their markets for the possible presence of these unsafe products. Since 2010, the Rapid Alert System also covers professional products and products posing risks other than those affecting health and safety (such as risks to the environment).
The present report covers strictly the Rapid Alert System’s activity related to consumer products posing a risk to the health and safety of consumers. In 2016, this concerned 2044 notifications and 3824 reactions.
The Rapid Alert System has a dedicated public website ec.europa.eu/consumers/rapid-alert-system which provides access to weekly updates of alerts submitted by the national authorities participating in the system. It is possible to search, select and download individual notifications from these webpages.
This report is based on the information available in the system on 4 January 2017 and the figures may slightly change over time as a result of subsequent withdrawal of notifications or modifications based on justified requests from the notifying countries. The published figures include 227 cases that were not published on the web because they did not fulfil required criteria (i.e., confidential cases and cases classified as being ‘for information’).
It should be noted that this report presents statistics on the functioning of the Rapid Alert System. It does not, by any means, represent all dangerous products on the market, nor does it give an overview of all market surveillance efforts undertaken by the market surveillance authorities participating in the network.
TERMINOLOGY:
Notification: An alert submitted by a national authority participating in the Rapid Alert System concerning a measure taken against a product placed on the market which poses a risk to consumers’ health or safety.
Reaction: Feedback received from national authorities participating in the Rapid Alert System on follow-up actions they have taken concerning the products that are the subject of notifications.
Notification ‘For information’: An alert that does not meet the criteria for a ‘notification’ but which includes information of interest (for example, a product for which the risk level cannot be established, or a product that lacks sufficient traceability information). These cases are only made available to the responsible national authorities participating in the Rapid Alert System and are not published in the weekly web report.
R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 5R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT
The following graph shows the difference by Member State between the number of notifications and reactions submitted in the Rapid Alert System in 2016. This year Germany was the largest contributor of notifications and Denmark was the Member State that sent the most reactions.
The graph also shows how many notifications were followed-up by other national authorities, i.e., were the subject of a reaction. In this
respect, notifications submitted by Germany received the highest number of reactions in 2016. This is mainly linked to the size of the car manufacturing industry in Germany. Due to a broad sales network, when a safety issue is detected in a certain car model, there are multiple recalls in the other countries where that model is available.
1. General statistics by Member State
GRAPH 1 Total number of notifications, total number of reactions and total number of notifications that were followed by a reaction in 2016, by country
0
200
400
600
1200
1400
Austr
ia
Belgi
um
Bulga
ria
Croa
tia
Cypr
us
Czec
h Rep
ublic
Denmar
k
Esto
nia
Finlan
d
Fran
ce
German
y
Greec
e
Hunga
ry
Icelan
d
Irelan
d Ita
ly
Latv
ia
Lithu
ania
Luxe
mbour
g
Malta
Nethe
rland
s
Norway
Polan
d
Portu
gal
Roman
ia
Slova
kia
Slove
nia
Spain
Swed
en
United
King
dom
16
21
8 8
24
10
9
26
27
19
7
25
15
19
11 25
1
25
13 20
18
6 7
24
24
18
16
15
12
14
9 8
110 11
8
80
29 63
199
319
50
192
39
31 65
51
52
45
224
60
118
53
30
106
186
358
73
204
129
119
174
97
33
173
33
31
277
169
102
236
205
188
291
289
174
102
62
51
222
1408
254
28
33
124
49 84
486
34
257
53
370
Notifications Reactions Notifications followed-up by reactions
6 2016 ANNUAL REPORT R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS
The following graph provides information on the distribution by Member State of the main product categories in notifications. We can see that most countries notified products belonging to categories ‘toys’
and ‘clothing, textiles and fashion items’. Some countries appear to concentrate more on ‘motor vehicles’, such as Germany, Greece, Portugal and the United Kingdom.
GRAPH 2 The 5 most often notified product categories by Member State in 2016
Motor vehicles Toys
Electrical appliancesand equipment
Childcare articles Clothing, textiles and fashion items
10 29
5 8 8 3 6
39 35
12
35
73
2 6 7
25 2
10
19 25
8
13
9 10
24
4 7
19
187
24
1
1 10 10 40
14 52
56
56
9 18 15
49
19
18
38
22 6 16
22 9
34 6
108
4
9
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Austr
ia
Belgi
um
Bulga
ria
Croa
tia
Cypr
us
Czec
h Rep
ublic
Denmar
k
Esto
nia
Finlan
d
Fran
ce
German
y
Greec
e
Hunga
ry
Icelan
d
Irelan
d Ita
ly
Latv
ia
Lithu
ania
Luxe
mbour
g
Malta
Nethe
rland
s
Norway
Polan
d
Portu
gal
Roman
ia
Slova
kia
Slove
nia
Spain
Swed
en
United
King
dom
R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 7R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT
2. Notifications2.1. Total number of notifications concerning products posing a risk to consumers’
health and/or safety
A structure for information exchange between Member States on dangerous products was set up in 2003 but it received a real boost with the entry into force of Directive 2001/95/EC on general product safety (GPSD) in 2004. At that stage, an IT tool and supporting instruments were introduced to facilitate the process. In parallel, active cooperation
with national authorities, businesses and stakeholders has contributed to the improvement of the alert system’s content and quality. Since 2012, the number of notifications has stabilised at a level of just over 2 000 notifications per year.
(2) 2013 data according to statistics retrieved in January 2017
GRAPH 3 Overview of the total number of notifications and the number of notifications reporting a serious risk (2003-2016) (2)
139
468
847
1051
1605
1866
1993
2244
1803
2278 2328 2341
2072 2044
67
388
701
924
1355
1545
1699
1963
1556
1938 1960 2067
1703 1691
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
All notifications Serious risk notifications
8 2016 ANNUAL REPORT R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS
2.2. Which countries sent information to the Rapid Alert System about measures taken against dangerous products?
The network is composed of 31 (3) national authorities responsible for product safety and the European Commission, which has a coordinating role and ensures that the notifications submitted by the national
(3) National authorities of the 28 EU Member States and the EEA/EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
authorities comply with the requirements of the GPSD before they are validated and published on the web. Germany and Spain notified the most cases in 2016.
GRAPH 4 Total number of notifications from 2014 to 2016 by notifying country (absolute values)
201420152016
29
10
123
23
151
117
33
20
105
163
273
63
291
12
9
37 42
1
60
5
14
109
11
44
36
21
44
24
272
73
126
17
6
151
7
117
109
27
21
52
135
208
14
238
4 5
56 60
74
9
25
62
15 19
42
25
74
21
239
78
162
21
8
110
8
118
80
29
24
63
199
319
50
192
10
9
39
26
27
19 31
65
7
51 52
25
45
15
224
60
118
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Austr
ia
Belgi
um
Bulga
ria
Croa
tia
Cypr
us
Czec
h Rep
ublic
Denmar
k
Esto
nia
Finlan
d
Fran
ce
German
y
Greec
e
Hunga
ry
Icelan
d
Irelan
d Ita
ly
Latv
ia
Liech
tens
tein
Lithu
ania
Luxe
mbour
g
Malta
Nethe
rland
s
Norway
Polan
d
Portu
gal
Roman
ia
Slova
kia
Slove
nia
Spain
Swed
en
United
King
dom
9R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT
2.2.1. Cooperation with online platforms
Ensuring that products circulating on the internal market, including those sold online, are safe for consumers is a basic objective of EU consumer policy.
Many of the dangerous products notified in the Rapid Alert System are also sold on online platforms. In 2016, this was the case for 244 notifications. To address this phenomenon, several national authorities have already set up specialised teams to monitor webpages and trace dangerous products that are sold online. In addition, when such products are identified, EU regulatory authorities can quickly contact the relevant online platforms to take action if needed.
TABLE 1 Number of notifications in 2016 where notifying countries indicated whether or not the product had been sold online
No 137
Unknown 1663
Yes 244
TOTAL 2044
10 2016 ANNUAL REPORT R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS
GRAPH 5 Number of notifications in 2016 by product category (absolute values)
55
100
266
3 26
98
31
144
6 1 4 1
44 66
13 20 30 50
80
13 1
372
41
3 23
9 4
540
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Chem
ical p
rodu
cts
Child
care
artic
les an
d chil
dren
's eq
uipmen
t
Cloth
ing, t
extil
es an
d fas
hion i
tems
Commun
icatio
n and
med
ia eq
uipmen
t
Cons
tructi
on pr
oduc
ts
Cosm
etics
Decor
ative
artic
les
Electr
ical a
pplia
nces
and e
quipm
ent
Furn
iture
Gadge
ts
Gas ap
plian
ces a
nd co
mpone
nts
Hand t
ools
Hobby
/spor
ts eq
uipmen
t
Jewell
ery
Kitch
en/co
oking
acce
ssor
ies
Lase
r poin
ters
Light
ers
Light
ing ch
ains
Light
ing eq
uipmen
t
Machin
ery
Measu
ring i
nstru
ments
Motor
vehic
les
Other
Pres
sure
equip
ment/v
esse
ls
Prot
ectiv
e equ
ipmen
t
Pyro
tech
nic ar
ticles
Recre
ation
al cra
�s To
ys
GRAPH 6 The five most notified product categories compared to other product categories in 2016
Toys Motor vehicles Clothing, textiles and fashion items
Electrical appliances and equipment
26%
18%
13%
7%
5%
31%
Childcare articles and children's equipment Other product categories, such as "cosmetics","lighting equipment" and "jewellery".
2.3. What products were the subject of notifications?
In 2016, ‘Toys’ was the most notified product category. The category ‘Motor vehicles’ has grown in importance compared to ‘Clothing’, which was more prominent in the past.
11R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT
GRAPH 7 Evolution of the share of the four most representative product categories compared to total notifications between 2004 and 2016
toys electrical appliances
motor vehicles clothing
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
2.3.1. Keeping European children safe
The safety of products intended for children is a priority for product safety authorities since these products have particularly high safety requirements to help protect this vulnerable group of consumers. The category ‘Toys’ has therefore always been at the top of the list of most notified products, together with ‘Childcare articles’ and ‘’Clothing, textiles and fashion items’ (most of the notifications in this last category relate to children’s clothing).
The amount of notifications per product category has remained fairly stable over the years, with the exception of the category ‘clothing’, which showed
a significant increase between 2008 and 2010, followed by a gradual decrease since then. The increase in notifications of this product category was partly due to the coordinated efforts of market surveillance authorities who concentrated on the screening of the market for the presence of certain chemicals in some textiles and also for the unauthorised presence of cords and drawstrings that can cause injuries and strangulation. This shared effort was repeated between 2013 and 2014 as the results show a growing awareness of the safety requirements for children’s clothing by manufacturers.
12 2016 ANNUAL REPORT R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS
Chemical risks are not always visible and they may have a long-term impact on consumers’ health. A good example is the risk posed by phthalates, often used as a softener for plastic. Phthalates can often be found in toys, childcare articles and even in clothes. Other examples are azo-dyes that release nitrosamines which, when in direct and prolonged contact with the skin, may be absorbed and cause cancer, cell mutations or affect reproduction. Chromium (VI) is another chemical that is often detected in leather articles and that can trigger allergic reactions.
The most common risks linked to children’s toys are ‘Choking’ and ‘Chemical’ risks. A toy intended for small children should not contain any small pieces or parts that can easily detach. Batteries that are easily accessible, or small enough to be put it in the mouth or swallowed, should be avoided. Button batteries are particularly dangerous because, apart from posing the risk of choking, they can also cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract of the child if swallowed. Particular care should be given to user instructions, product contents and warning signs, such as the ‘not suitable for children under 3’ pictogram.
GRAPH 8 Risks most often linked with ‘Toys’ in 2016
39%
33%
11%
5%
4%
8%
Choking Chemical Injuries
Damage to hearing Strangulation Other risks
13R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT
2.4. Coordinated market surveillance in Europe: an extra boost to achieve a safer market
Each year the European Commission co-finances a number of coordinated market surveillance activities (joint actions) assembling the network’s Member State authorities. A budget of EUR 2.5 million is available every year to co-finance enforcement activities related to non-food consumer products on our market. The activities include a number of product-oriented, coordinated, market surveillance actions. On the
basis of a list of products agreed by national authorities, specialised laboratories are selected to test the products and assess if they are dangerous. These actions often lead to submission of notifications to the Rapid Alert System. Several notifications concerning dangerous products for children, such as cots, scooters, safety gates and acoustic toys, were notified in 2016 following a joint action.
TABLE 2 Joint action programmes
Focus of the joint action Participating Member States
RA
PID A
LERT SY
STEM
Joint Market Surveillance
Action on Consumer
Products 2013
Toys intended for children under 3 years Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal
Childcare articles: Cots Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal
Chemicals in clothing Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain
Kick scooters Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Malta, Slovakia
Smoke detectors Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal
Joint Market Surveillance
Action on Consumer
Products 2014
Child care articles - Safety barriers Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Slovakia
Acoustic toys Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania
Lighting chains and LED lamps Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden
Fireworks Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia
Power tools: angle grinders Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia
Joint Market Surveillance
Action on Consumer
Products 2015
Childcare articles: Soothers and soother holders Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia
Plastic toys: chemical risks Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden
Household appliances: mixers Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden
Playground equipment Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia
Power tools (particularly those with cutting blades) Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal
Joint market surveillance
action on consumer
products (2016)
Baby carriers Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal
Electric toys Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden
Electrical appliances Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden
Handheld power tools: impact drills Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland
Climbing equipment Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway
14 2016 ANNUAL REPORT R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS
2.5. What risks were signalled in the notifications?
In 2016, the most frequently notified risk was ‘injuries’ (i.e. physical injuries); ‘Chemical’ risk, which was the most notified risk in 2015, moved to second place. This change in rank is linked to the higher proportion of notifications concerning the product category ‘motor vehicles’ in 2016, which are mostly associated with the risk of injuries.
GRAPH 9 Number of notifications in 2016 by type of risk (absolute values)
23
69
524
336
19 38
26 15
257
20
204
9
575
33
3
134
22
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Asph
yxiat
ion
Burn
s
Chem
ical
Chok
ing
Cuts
Damag
e to h
earin
g
Damag
e to s
ight
Drownin
g
Electr
ic sh
ock
Entra
pmen
t Fir
e
Health
risk
/ oth
er
Injur
ies
Microb
iolog
ical
Other
Stra
ngula
tion
Suffoc
ation
GRAPH 10 The five most notified types of risk in 2016 compared to 2015
Injuries Chemical Choking
Electric shock Fire Other risks
22%
25%
17%
12%
8%
16% 25%
23%
14%
11%
9%
18%
2015
2016
R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 15R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT
3. Reactions3.1. Reactions to notifications
National authorities scrutinise notifications in the Rapid Alert System to check if the product is also available on their markets and, if so, they provide feedback by submitting a ‘reaction’ in the Rapid Alert System. This practice ensures EU-wide follow-up to prevent those dangerous products from causing further harm to consumers. Since 2009, the names of reacting Member States, i.e., those that have sent a reaction to inform the network that they have also found the notified product and taken measures in their own country, are added next to the notification on the public website.
In 2016, the number of reactions was almost double the number of notifications. This means that national authorities are, more than ever, systematically following-up notifications that are circulated in the system.
THE CASE OF THE SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 7 MOBILE PHONE: AN EXAMPLE OF GOOD PRACTICE
This product was widely reported in the media to have a dangerous battery cell which overheated, thus causing serious burns to consumers. The United Kingdom authorities notified through the Rapid Alert System the measures they had taken to recall and stop the sale of the product. This triggered
an exchange of information inside the system on the number of devices found, the measures taken, the economic operators involved and the number of incidents reported. Although no accident was reported by the authorities, the product was identified as posing a high risk of burns.
16 2016 ANNUAL REPORT R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS
3.2. Tracing dangerous products
GRAPH 12 Reactions in 2016 by level of identification of the corresponding notifications
93%
5%
Brand Known + Type/numberof model Known Brand Unknown + Type/numberof model Known
Brand Known + Type/numberof model Unknown Brand Unknown + Type/numberof model Unknown
2%
0%
GRAPH 11 Notifications in 2016 by level of identification
73%
12%
9%
6%
Brand Known + Type/numberof model Known Brand Unknown + Type/numberof model Known
Brand Known + Type/numberof model Unknown Brand Unknown + Type/numberof model Unknown
Identifying the product
The more information about the product provided in the notification, the easier it is for the other national authorities to find the dangerous product and take appropriate measures. In 2016, most of the
notifications were properly identified with information about the brand, type or model. Understandably, reactions are more frequent for well-identified products.
17R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT
Identification of the source
Knowing the country of origin contributes to tracing the dangerous product back to the source and identifying the manufacturer or any other economic operators, such as importers, distributors, etc. Measures are more effective once the concerned actors are identified. The product safety authorities in the country of origin may also take measures
GRAPH 13 Notifications in 2016 by country of origin
2 1
11 4
9
1 6
1 2 1 1 1
14 8
1
77
126
1069
9 10 7
44
5 1
48
4
39
1 2
14
3 4 2
15
1
12
1
35
5 11
2 2 3 3 1 1
24
6 3
16
6
53
1 1
43
102
158
11
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
1601000
1100
Alban
ia
Austr
alia
Austr
ia
Bang
lades
h
Belgi
um
Braz
il
Bulga
ria
Camer
oon
Cana
da Ch
ile
China
Colom
bia
Croa
tia
Czec
h Rep
ublic
Denmar
k
Finlan
d
Fran
ce
German
y
Greec
e
Hong K
ong
Hunga
ry Ind
ia
Indon
esia
Irelan
d Ita
ly
Ivory
Coas
t
Japa
n
Jord
an
Latv
ia
Lithu
ania
Malays
ia
Mexico
Moroc
co
Nethe
rland
s
Nigeria
Pakis
tan
Philip
pines
Polan
d
Portu
gal
Repu
blic o
f Kor
ea
Roman
ia
Russ
ian Fe
dera
tion
Serb
ia
Slova
kia
Slove
nia
Sout
h Afri
ca
Spain
Swed
en
Switz
erlan
d
Taiw
an
Thail
and
Turke
y
Ukraine
United
Ara
b Emira
tes
United
King
dom
United
Stat
es
Unkno
wn
Vietn
am
themselves. This could be by issuing a fine but could also be in the form of providing the necessary training and information.
When the notifying authorities are not able to determine the country of origin, this field is marked as ‘unknown’ in the Rapid Alert System.
18 2016 ANNUAL REPORT R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS
GRAPH 14 Number of reactions in 2016 by country of origin of the dangerous product
2
86
4 14 2 4 4 1
501
1
65 39
575
642
4 1
53 36 33
1
146
1
388
1 1 1 27
8 15 1
21 1 2
50 29
65
22 1 3 8
102
34
4
40 34 58
213
365
66 49
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Arge
ntina
Austr
ia
Bang
lades
h
Belgi
um
Bosn
ia an
d Her
zego
vina
Bulga
ria
Cana
da Ch
ile
China
Croa
tia
Czec
h Rep
ublic
Denmar
k
Fran
ce
German
y
Greec
e
Hong K
ong
Hunga
ry Ind
ia
Indon
esia
Irelan
d Ita
ly
Ivory
Coas
t
Japa
n
Latv
ia
Lithu
ania
Malays
ia
Mexico
Moroc
co
Nethe
rland
s
Norway
Pakis
tan
Peru
Philip
pines
Polan
d
Portu
gal
Repu
blic o
f Kor
ea
Roman
ia
Slova
kia
Slove
nia
Sout
h Afri
ca
Spain
Swed
en
Switz
erlan
d
Taiw
an
Thail
and
Turke
y
United
King
dom
United
Stat
es
Unkno
wn
Vietn
am
19R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT
3.2.1. RAPEX-China: a 10-year old partnership
Notifications included in the Rapid Alert System concern dangerous products produced all over the world. China remains the number one country of origin but figures have gradually been going down since 2013. In 2016, the percentage of notifications for which China (including Hong Kong) was indicated as country of origin went down to 53%, a drop of 9% compared to 2015.
2016 marked 10 years of close collaboration with China aimed at reducing the presence of unsafe products on our markets. To facilitate this collaboration, a specific module of the Rapid Alert System has been created to allow for swift flagging of notifications concerning unsafe products from China. The Chinese authorities investigate these cases in order to trace back the manufacturers, exporters and businesses concerned with the aim of making them aware of product safety rules in Europe. Where necessary, they take further measures to ensure that those products are no longer produced and shipped to Europe.
GRAPH 15 Notifications by groups of countries of origin (2004-2016)
China, including Hong Kong EU-28 and EEA countries Other Unknown
38%
49% 49% 52% 59% 60% 58%
54% 59%
64% 64% 62%
53%
27%
20% 21% 22%
20% 20% 17%
18%
16%
15% 14% 15%
23%
23% 20% 17%
13% 10% 7%
10% 11%
12% 10%
7% 10% 8%
12% 11% 13% 13% 11% 13% 15% 17% 13% 10%
15% 13% 17%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
20 2016 ANNUAL REPORT R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS
GRAPH 16 Evolution in number of notifications flagged to the Chinese authorities, by product category (product categories with less than 10 notifications a year excluded) (2013-2016)
2016 2015
2014 2013
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Chem
ical p
rodu
cts
Child
care
artic
les
Cloth
ing, t
extil
es an
d fas
hion i
tems
Commun
icatio
n and
med
ia eq
uipmen
t
Cons
tructi
on pr
oduc
ts
Cosm
etics
Decor
ative
artic
les
Electr
ical a
pplia
nces
and e
quipm
ent
Food
-imita
ting p
rodu
cts
Furn
iture
Hobby
/spor
ts eq
uipmen
t
Jewell
ery
Kitch
en/co
oking
acce
ssor
ies
Lase
r poin
ters
Light
ers
Light
ing ch
ains
Light
ing eq
uipmen
t
Machin
ery
Prot
ectiv
e equ
ipmen
t
Pyro
tech
nic ar
ticles
To
ys
"Oth
er" p
rodu
cts
The information provided by the Chinese authorities shows that for the cases reported to them in 2013, measures could be taken in 44 % of the notifications that were traceable. These measures included export bans, the strengthening of inspection frequency of certain companies, changes in design, recall of the product, withdrawal, destruction of the product and production bans. The
figures amounted to 36% in 2014 and 37% in 2015. No data is available for the year 2016 as yet.
Over the years, the most notified product categories originating from China have remained stable, and mainly concern clothing articles and toys.
21R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT
GRAPH 17 Number of reactions from 2014 to 2016 by reacting country
201620152014
53
30
106
186
19
11
358
73
204
129
119
174
97
33
173
33
25
1
25 31
277
169
102
236
13
205
188
291
289
174
53
29
92
138
17
18
209
32
179
105
85 10
8
56
26
106
24
15 25
11 30
203
186
3
153
10
89
132
319
181
111
56
35
68
130
12
13
223
35
152
132
94
203
122
34
101
25
16
38
5
27
163
101
49
156
7
85
158
198
200
117
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Austr
ia
Belgi
um
Bulga
ria
Croa
tia
Cypr
us
Czec
h Rep
ublic
Denmar
k
Esto
nia
Finlan
d
Fran
ce
German
y
Greec
e
Hunga
ry
Icelan
d
Irelan
d Ita
ly
Latv
ia
Lithu
ania
Luxe
mbour
g
Malta
Nethe
rland
s
Norway
Polan
d
Portu
gal
Roman
ia
Slova
kia
Slove
nia
Spain
Swed
en
United
King
dom
3.3. Which countries sent reactions?
All countries participating in the Rapid Alert System must provide feedback if they find a notified product on their market or have relevant information to add to the case. They do this by submitting a ‘reaction’ through the system. The number of reactions registered shows
a substantial increase in most countries, with the highest increases registered in Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia and Sweden, mostly due to reactions concerning notifications on motor vehicles.
22 2016 ANNUAL REPORT R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS
3.4. What dangerous products received reactions?
As in previous years, most reactions in 2016 concerned notifications about ‘Motor vehicles’. This category of products is systematically traceable thanks to motor vehicle registration rules.
GRAPH 18 Number of reactions in 2016 by product category (absolute values)
2766
52
95
118
10 7
71
15
99
3 1 5
95
18 3 8 9 7
46
27 21
5
26
1 12
1
303
0
300
200
100
150
250
50
2700
2750
2800
Chem
ical p
rodu
cts
Child
care
artic
les
Cloth
ing, t
extil
es an
d fas
hion i
tems
Commun
icatio
n and
med
ia eq
uipmen
t
Cons
tructi
on pr
oduc
ts
Cosm
etics
Decor
ative
artic
les
Electr
ical a
pplia
nces
and e
quipm
ent
Furn
iture
Gadge
ts
Gas ap
plian
ces a
nd co
mpone
nts
Hobby
/spor
ts eq
uipmen
t
Jewell
ery
Kitch
en/co
oking
acce
ssor
ies
Lase
r poin
ters
Light
ers
Light
ing ch
ains
Light
ing eq
uipmen
t
Machin
ery
Motor
vehic
les
Other
Pres
sure
equip
ment/v
esse
ls
Prot
ectiv
e equ
ipmen
t
Pyro
tech
nic ar
ticles
Recre
ation
al cra
�s
Stat
ioner
y To
ys
23R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT
GRAPH 19 Number of reactions in 2016 by type of risk (absolute values)
17 72
277 212
26 11 12 7 88
11
534
6
2656
18 16 68 16 0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
Asph
yxiat
ion
Burn
s Ch
emica
l Ch
oking
Cuts
Damag
e to h
earin
g
Damag
e to s
ight
Drownin
g Ele
ctric
shoc
k En
trapm
ent
Fire
Health
risk
/ oth
er
Injur
ies
Microb
iolog
ical
Other
St
rang
ulatio
n Su
ffocat
ion
GRAPH 20 Risk level identified in notifications and reactions in 2016
83% 95%
6%
4% 11%
1%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Notifications Reactions
Serious risk Other risk levels For information
3.5. What were the risks signalled in reactions?
As reactions tend to concentrate on ‘Motor vehicles’, the most reported risk is ‘injuries’. This trend has been constant in the Rapid Alert System. The number of reactions per risk category can be higher than the total number of reactions received as there may be more than one risk signalled in the same notification or the reaction may indicate an additional risk.
Reactions mostly relate to notifications signalling a serious risk and are less common when the notifications are circulated ‘For information’ only.
24 2016 ANNUAL REPORT R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS
3.6. What measures were reported?
Measures can include the withdrawal of dangerous products from the market, sales bans, corrective actions, rejection of imports, etc. When the measures are ordered by national authorities, they are referred to as ‘compulsory measures’. Measures initiated by the economic operator (the manufacturer, authorised representative, importer or distributor) are referred to as ‘voluntary measures’.
Economic operators must ensure that they only place safe products on the market and that they inform the national authorities when they have identified a safety problem relating to a product they are selling. To inform authorities of such cases, economic operators may use the Business application tool.
The number of voluntary and compulsory measures has been balanced over the years, which shows that both national authorities and businesses have been working together to improve product safety in Europe. The role of customs authorities has also been reinforced over the years, particularly since the entry into force of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 on 1 January 2010, which strengthened the involvement of customs authorities by introducing a specific section on controls of products entering the EU market. Guidelines for import controls in the area of product safety and compliance were also developed to help customs authorities to facilitate this task and to ensure a common approach at EU level.
GRAPH 21 Number of notifications in 2016 by type of measure, and compulsory measures initiated by border authorities (absolute values)
Measures initiatedby border authorities
1096
922
129
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
Compulsory measures Voluntary measures
25R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS 2016 ANNUAL REPORT
As in previous years, most of the reactions in 2016 concerned follow-up actions to voluntary measures. This means that distributors, manufacturers or importers in Europe follow each other by recalling the dangerous products notified in the Rapid Alert System.
In some cases, reactions reported that no further measures were taken. This may be because the product was not found (even if an enquiry took place) or because the national authority did not consider it necessary to take measures.
GRAPH 22 Reactions in 2016 by type of measure taken
77%
7%
16%
Voluntary measures
Compulsory measures
Compulsory and voluntary measures
No measure
0%
26 2016 ANNUAL REPORT R APID ALERT SYSTEM FOR DANGEROUS PRODUC TS
3.7. What information was provided in the reactions?
Also reflecting a constant trend, most reactions in 2016 confirmed that the notified dangerous product had been found on the market of the reacting country and that follow-up measures had been adopted. Some reactions provided further information to that already contained in the notification. In a few cases, national authorities sent a reaction to state that they disagreed with the risk assessment of the notifying authority.
In cases of diverging opinions, the European Commission launches a discussion inside the network in order to take a final decision on the product’s level of risk and, depending on the outcome, the notification may be withdrawn from the system. In such cases, the withdrawal is reported in the following weekly update published on the website.
GRAPH 23 Reactions in 2016 by type of information provided by the national authority
3192
516
51 35 30 0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
Found on national market Not found on national marketAdditional information on
products found on national marketAdditional information on products
not found on national marketDisagree with
original notification
HOW TO OBTAIN EU PUBLICATIONS
Free publications:
• one copy: via EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu);
• more than one copy or posters/maps: from the European Union’s representations (http://ec.europa.eu/represent_en.htm); from the delegations in non-EU countries (http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/index_en.htm); by contacting the Europe Direct service (http://europa.eu/europedirect/index_en.htm) or calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) (*).(*) The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, phone boxes or hotels may charge you).
Priced publications:
• via EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu).
DS-05-16-087-EN
-N
ISBN 978-92-79-64423-8