In 2017, the Rapid Alert System was increasingly used by national authorities
with more than 2,000 alerts on dangerous products circulated through the system. Toys, for example
several models of the popular fidget spinners, cars and motorcycles, topped the list of dangerous
products detected and removed from the market.
Věra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality said: "European consumer
rules guarantee that only safe products are sold in the EU. If this is not the case, the Rapid Alert
System supports authorities to react quickly and remove any products that might cause injuries.
Thanks to this system, we are keeping our children safe and preventing fatal accidents on our roads.
This is a good example of how to efficiently enforce EU consumer rules. Unfortunately, in many other
areas we need to improve enforcement and make sure consumers can benefit from their rights. This is
what our upcoming 'New Deal for Consumers' is all about.”
The 2,201 alerts sent through the Rapid Alert System prompted nearly 4,000 follow-up actions, such
as the withdrawal of products from the market. This shows that all national authorities closely
monitored the alerts in the system and took all necessary measures to help make the market safer for
consumers.
How does it protect consumers from dangerous products sold online?
Consumers increasingly purchase products online directly from third countries. The challenge is now to
ensure that these products meet EU standards for safety.
Many of the dangerous products notified in the Rapid Alert System are also sold on online platforms or
marketplaces. To address this phenomenon, the Commission is encouraging cooperation with its
international counterparts and online platforms to make sure that unsafe products do not reach EU
consumers.
The Commission issued a Recommendationon 1 March 2018 with a set of operational
measures to be taken by online platforms and Member States to further step the work on illegal online
content, including when it comes to dangerous products.
In particular, the Commission is calling on platforms to take voluntary commitments that go further
than their legal obligations in the field of product safety.
Which products are posing the most risks?
In 2017, 'toys' was the most notified product category (29%), followed by 'motor vehicles' (20%), and
'clothing, textiles and fashion items' (12%).
As far as risks are concerned, in 2017 the risk most often notified was injury (28%), followed by
chemical risk (22%).
Where are they coming from?
The majority of dangerous products notified in the system came from outside the EU. China is the
number one country of origin, but the number of alerts remains stable at 53% (1,155) in 2017, same
as the year before. The Commission continues to cooperate closely with Chinese authorities, working
together to discuss specific cases and implement actions, such as exchange of good practices.
Dangerous products of European origin accounted for 413 notifications (26%).
Next steps
The Rapid Alert System is an important tool for the enforcement of EU consumer laws by national
consumer authorities. To further improve enforcement, the Commission will unveil its 'New Deal for
Consumers' in April, which aims at modernising the existing rules and improving the protection of
consumers.
The Commission will continue working on modernising the Rapid Alert System further, allowingauthorities and businesses to better protect consumers from dangerous products.
The next step of the modernisation of the system will enable users to read each alert in all official EU
languages.
