Improved EU wide cooperation between customs authorities has led to an increase in the number of dangerous consumer products removed from the EU market last year.

Improved EU wide cooperation between customs authorities has led to an increase in the number of dangerous consumer products removed from the EU market last year.

The annual (RAPEX) report on dangerous consumer products published by the European Commission shows that toys took over from electrical appliances as the product category most often notified.

China was indicated as the country of origin in almost half of all cases notified (440 notifications, 48%).
In total, restrictive measures concerning 924 dangerous products were reported through RAPEX last year, compared to 701 in 2005—representing a 32% increase.

The EU is calling for enhanced participation from all member states, joint efforts with and between national market surveillance and customs authorities, and co-operation with third countries to further increase the effectiveness of the RAPEX rapid alert system.