The General Product Safety Regulation came into force on December 13, 2024 and places new responsibilities on British companies exporting to the EU, European Economic Area (EEA) and Northern Ireland (NI).
William Bain, the BCC’s Head of Trade Policy, answers the key questions about the new legislation.
What does it do?
The legisliation places new requirement on certain, but not all, goods exporters in Great Britian to the EU, the EEA and NI1.
The General Product Safety Regulation was proposed by the European Commission to address safety concerns over products entering the EU2.
It is designed to deal with goods sold via online marketplaces or other distance sale means which were non-compliant with EU safety standards and risked harm to consumers.
A precautionary principle runs throughout the new obligations and processes introduced by the Regulation, alongside strong traceability of products. The legislation was first consulted upon four years ago.
Footnotes
[1] European Economic Area – including the EU, and three EFTA states – Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein.
[2] Regulation (EU) 2023/988: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32023R0988 accessed on 13 December 2024.
