Regulation (EU) 2023/988 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 on general product safety, amending Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Directive (EU) 2020/1828 of the European Parliament and the Council, and repealing Directive 2001/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Directive 87/357/EEC 

Scope of the new regulation:

This regulation applies to products placed or made available on the market, as long as there are no specific provisions in EU law that regulate the safety of related products with the same objective. If a product is subject to specific safety requirements under EU law, this regulation only applies to aspects and risks or risk categories not covered by those requirements. This regulation does not apply to drugs, food, feed, etc.

Major changes :

The goal of the new General Product Safety Regulation is to ensure that all consumer products on the EU market are safe. The regulation provides consumers with a real safety net to address product safety or risks not covered by other EU legislation, specifically by:

1）Listing key elements such as the evolving nature of products or the interrelatedness of consumer product safety assessments;

2）Improving the disparity between online and offline product safety conditions;

3）Establish specific product safety requirements for online marketplaces to protect consumers from the harm caused by dangerous products sold through online marketplaces;

4）Extend the obligations for products imported into the EU without other coordinated standards to ensure that economic operators within the EU are responsible for product safety issues;

5）Provide the necessary tools to national authorities to enhance their enforcement powers;

6）Ensure effective product recalls, such as by requiring direct contact with consumers and standardized recall notices.