Rapex System – European Rapid Alert System for Dangerous Products

Nearly 2000 notifications on a yearly basis are received by the EU rapid information system (RAPEX) to alert national authorities and citizens of potentially dangerous products that need to be taken out of the market for safety reasons. Since the establishment of RAPEX in 2003 it has shown to be an excellent system that results in the earlier identification and earlier removal of dangerous non-food products from the EU markets.

Products which pose a danger to consumers are being removed from the EU to ensure a safer Single Market. Clothing and toys has shown to be the two main product categories for which corrective measures had to be taken because of chemical risk, risk of strangulation, injury risks and choking. Businesses should be aware of this and ensure that risks are taken into account prior to production to prevent product withdrawal.

“we can make sure that your product is safe and reliable to be sold on the European market”

Product that are placed on the EU-market should comply with the relevant legislation, and economic operator should be responsible for the compliance of the products, in relation to their respective roles. There a four economic operators which play a different role each;

• Manufacturer
• Importer
• Distributor
• Authorised Representative

The manufacturer is responsible for the product safety while the other operators, ensuring the products which are sold in Europe, fulfill all safety requirements.