After a transition period of 18 months, EU Regulation 2023/988 on general product safety will come into force on 13th December 2024. It applies directly in every EU member state and is intended to ensure that only safe products continue to be placed on the market in the EU.
The aim of the regulation is to improve the functioning of the internal market while ensuring a high level of consumer protection.
This Regulation lays down essential requirements for the safety of consumer products placed or made available on the EU internal market. It applies equally to retailers and manufacturers. The Regulation applies to new, used, repaired or reconditioned products placed or made available on the market. It does not apply to products that need to be repaired or refurbished before they can be used.
The Regulation does not apply to
a) medicinal products for human and veterinary use,
b) foodstuffs,
c) animal feed,
d) living plants and animals, genetically modified organisms and genetically modified micro-organisms in contained systems and products of plants and animals that are directly related to their future reproduction,
e) animal by-products and derived products,
f) plant protection products,
g) means of transport by which consumers move or travel and which are directly operated by service providers in the context of a transport service provided to consumers and are not operated by the consumers themselves,
h) aircraft as defined in Article 2(3)(d) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139,
i) antiques.
The Chambers of Commerce in Germany provide information on what companies should consider in practice in webinars, among other things
Regulation (EU) 2023/988 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 on general product safety can be found in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Source: DIHK
