Commissaris Dalli kaartte bij Wereld Expo samenwerking EU-China-VS over productveiligheid aan (en)

EU Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner, John Dalli, puts consumer issues in the spotlight today in a keynote speech at the Consumer and Product Safety Day during the Shanghai World Expo. He will also meet with U.S. and China counterparts at the second China-EU-U.S. High Level Trilateral Summit on product safety.

Both events focus on developing a modern consumer policy and in particular stronger governance on product safety in today's global market. The Consumer Day will include representatives from the EU institutions, Consumer organisations, the European business sector and a senior representative from China's State Food and Drug Administration.

The aim is to explore new opportunities to strengthen working partnerships under the theme 'Better cities - Better lives'. The Trilateral Summit on product safety¹ brings Mr Dalli together with his product safety counterparts Mr. Zhi Shuping, Minister of China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and Mrs. Inez Moore Tenenbaum, Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

This trilateral co-operation reflects the determination of all sides to keep product safety at the top of the international political agenda, recognising that open markets can only be built on strong and secure management of global product supply chains.

Commissioner Dalli said in Shanghaï: “Ensuring our consumers' safety is one of the collective challenges of globalisation that our jurisdictions can only confront by working in international partnership. We must ensure the safety of consumers around the world and we must keep up the political momentum to insist that standards are high and enforced at every step along the global supply chain from factory to front door."

World Expo - Consumer and Product Safety Day

Commissioner Dalli presented the basic principles of European Union Consumer Policy at the World Expo Consumer Day where he underlined the important role of consumer policy in strengthening consumer confidence - a key pillar for growth:

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  Safety first: that all consumer products from food to cosmetics are safe;
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  Evidence based policy making: including sound science underpinning high levels of safety, market monitoring to identify weaknesses (with follow-up either through legislation or self-regulation by industry), and where possible, moving towards international standards;
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  Enforcement and Redress: The EU Rapid Alert system for dangerous consumer products (RAPEX) and RAPEX China are working well to exchange information on products posing a serious risk to consumers' health and safety. Trilateral co-operation is helping to develop a co-ordinated response across three continents;
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  Consumer involvement: equipping consumers with clear information, to enable the best choices of products or services and supporting consumer organisations.

EU-China-US Trilateral Summit

This is the second time the EU, China and the USA have met at such a high level to discuss product safety, reinforcing their mutual commitment to coordinate closely in this area and to enforce high safety standards, including action to strengthen information exchange between the partners on alerts and recalls.

RAPEX has consistently shown in recent years that while significant numbers of products recalled and withdrawn are manufactured within the EU or the US, approximately 60% of goods withdrawn from the EU market are of Chinese origin. This is a function of course of the huge trade flows of consumer goods coming from China (for example between 80 and 90% of the toys and electrical equipment on the European market are made in China).

Product safety is a common concern that involves many actors, and there is work to be done on all sides to enforce and control the safety of products at every stage along the supply chain, from design to production to retail. One of the ideas being explored is a 'seamless surveillance approach' linking export controls more closely with customs and shipping procedures and then with import checks at point of entry.

The trilateral priority areas for action agreed are set out in the joint press statement, including on product traceability, convergence of safety requirements, advice to manufacturers and joint enforcement actions.

For more information: http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/safety/news/index_en.htm

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Trilateral Summit between the product safety authorities of: China (AQSIQ - Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine), the US (CPSC -Consumer Product Safety Commission) and the EU (Health and Consumers Directorate General)