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Stricter EU consumer protection rules for purchased products
Almost two years ago, the European Parliament and the EU states voted for stricter consumer protection rules. Now they are applied.
Stricter consumer protection rules will now apply in the EU, which are intended to ensure the safety of numerous products. The new regulations would also clarify the obligations of companies, the EU Commission said.
The European Parliament and the EU states officially confirmed the rules in spring 2023. The parliamentary negotiator said at the time: “With this law, we have taken a decisive step against those who sell unsafe products in Europe. Someone within the EU must be responsible for every product sold.” A transition period until the rules were applied was agreed in the regulation.
The consumer protection association Beuc pointed out unsafe products in an analysis published in September 2022. According to British consumer advocates, these include smoke detectors that could not detect any smoke. Citing Dutch consumer advocates, another example was surveillance cameras from China, which were said to be easy to hack.
Criticism of the new requirements comes from the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK). “The operational effort required to implement the regulation is immense,” says Volker Treier from the DIHK. Companies would have to fulfill a variety of additional documentation and proof requirements.
dpa
Source: Stern
