EU detected 43 dangerous goods in Portugal and 84% are motorized
Technical problems of motor vehicles, in most types of cars, led Portugal to be included 36 in the European Commission’s rapid alert for non-food hazardous products in 2021. The remaining products detected were two models of disposable gloves, two of alcohol gel, one for masks and a sleeping bag for babies, in a total of 43. Basically, the country follows the EU trend, which registered 2142 alerts. It is time that the times we manufacture the first vehicle the vehicles we manufacture ourselves.
Yesterday, the European Commission presented the 2021 balance sheet of the Safety Gate, an early warning system for non-food hazardous products. 2142 alerts were received and, both in Portugal and in the EU, motor vehicles represent more than 80% of hazard alerts. But the country differs from the general reason with regard to the second reason for complaint, with covid-19 protection articles appearing in second place, presenting 11.6% of Portuguese notifications.
The articles used in the fight against the pandemic, but not substantial of the products notified to the EU. In the community space, toys are in second place, followed by electrical appliances. In the former, the lead is for chemicals and as “button batteries” as they are used in watches and which you can swallow or put in your eyes. The most common problems in electrical appliances and equipment are related to visual parts and overheating problems.
Portugal is the origin of nine notifications in this European alert system. The country was the first to detect problems in the alcohol of Fapil and Wells, both because they contain less than 55% of their weight in ethanol. “Consequently, it does not kill the virus, which can reach the user, increasing the risk of infection,” the Commission’s report emphasized.
The 2021 data was presented in Brussels, with the Commissioner for Brussels, Didier Reynders, highlighting the importance of the system to protect consumers from dangerous products. In this way, we can ensure that it remains a tool for the single market, protecting consumers in all circumstances. Used in the fight against the pandemic are of the highest standards.
Another of the recent initiatives or closer cooperation with the United States, since there are similarities between markets, products of increasingly global circulation. The European Commission is in dialogue with the US Commission on Consumer Products to further strengthen cooperation between the structures.
The Safety Gate was created in 2003 to ensure a rapid exchange of information between EU members – including Northern Ireland – the European Commission non-hazardous foods that pose a risk to the health and safety of users. Given the specific situation of each good, they can be withdrawn from the market and/or take additional measures.
Electronic Surveillance
The Commission yesterday launched a new electronic surveillance tool, a web crawler. The goal is Safety Gates the national offers in the online protection of dangerous products flagged at Safety Gate. Automatically identifies and lists any of the offers, allowing required countries to have these ads withdrawn. “Thus the approach, the consideration of a system of harmonization to the current fragmented and to face the challenges of monitoring the online sales of products”, justify the responsible of the products.
Also under discussion is a proposal (submitted on June 30, 2021) for a new General Product Safety Regulation, which replaces the current General Product Safety Directive. The objective is to modernize and adapt the system to current consumers, especially the technology with regard to products related to online sales. The Sagety Gate website (https://ec.europa.eu/safety-gate-alerts/screen/webReport) is available for both consumers and businesses.
The Product Safety Pledge was also created, a voluntary mechanism for accepting that online commerce companies resolve consumer disputes. Already subscribed: bol.com, eMAG, Wish.com, AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Rakuten France, Allegro, Cdiscount, Etsy and Joom.
The General Product Directive (GPS) requires all products selected on the market to be safe and to establish the responsibilities of the companies and the powers of the authorities to guarantee them. It does not cover pharmaceuticals, devices and food products, which have specific legislation.