Prosafe, a not-for-profit professional organization for market surveillance authorities and officers throughout Europe, has launched a two-year joint action in which it will partner with 35 market surveillance authorities from 27 European Union (EU) member states and European Free Trade Agreement countries. The action is intended to target non-compliant products in five categories, which include noisy toys.
In 2013, noisy toys were classified according to the European Commission’s updated toy safety standard (EN71-1) into three categories based on duration of exposure: toys with headphones or earphones; rattles, squeeze toys, and wind toys that imitate musical instruments; and cap-firing toys and toy whistles. Countries participating in the action will ensure that toys that do not conform to the EN71-1 requirements—and pose a risk to consumers—are removed from the market.
The joint action serves several purposes, including the ensuring of the safety of consumers by identifying and removing unsafe products from the European market. It is also intended to help create a level playing field for business and to support and increase the free flow of goods on the European market.
The joint action participants come from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the UK, and other EU countries.
