Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-09-25-Speech-2-089"
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"en.20070925.5.2-089"2
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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, two more factual clarifications. Firstly, the European rules on product quality and product safety apply to every product, irrespective of where it is produced. Regardless of whether a product is produced in China or Europe, if it is brought onto the European market, the same regulations apply 100%, since there is no distinction at all. This goes without saying.
Secondly, I will say it once more: obviously, even the old existing Toy Safety Directive bans the importation of dangerous toys. Toys that Mattel has recalled did not comply with European rules and could not be marketed in Europe.
I now come to the two major complex issues that have played a crucial role in this debate. First of all, the Toy Safety Directive. The Commission, of which I am a part, announced the revision of the directive at the beginning of 2005. The beginning of 2005! Since then it has been part of the Commission’s legislative programme. This legislative programme has been discussed in this Parliament. I have not heard that any Member of Parliament has demanded that the new Toy Safety Directive must be in place any sooner. Nor would this be possible. This is such a complicated and enormously huge market, that you cannot come up with it just like that.
I guarantee once again: this new Toy Safety Directive will be in place by the end of the year. The policy instruction to officials, on which they are working, is: the strictest possible regulations in relation to toy safety, the ‘strictest possible’. This, for instance, expressly includes – because several people have said so here – the fact that I gave instructions, a long time ago and not just now, that carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic chemical substances should not be used in toys. There are still more than 900 of them. All this has already been decided.
Then there is the question of market surveillance and CE marking. I should say, Mr Sturdy, that it is really not right to blame the Commission for the fact that we respect the legally enshrined division of labour between the European level and the Member States. Market surveillance is the sole responsibility of the Member States. What we can do – and this we are doing – is to strengthen and improve cooperation, but we cannot assume responsibility.
A series of requests has been made here as to how we could improve the system. I am very happy about these requests because they pinpoint precisely what the Commission put to you at the beginning of this year on the reform of the internal market. It demanded that the Member States should be obliged to carry out market surveillance internally and at external borders – and this is precisely what is stated in our proposals. The Member States should be forced to make appropriate resources available – this is included in our proposal. The Member States should be compelled to exchange important information immediately – this is included in our proposal. And finally, it has been proposed that strict penalties and sanctions be applied to those who breach the rules – this, too, is included in our proposal.
Therefore, as a matter of urgency, I appeal to you, the European Parliament, and to the Council, which not present here, to discuss the Commission’s proposals from the beginning of the year without delay and to adopt them. Then the greater part of what has rightly been demanded here today will already have been completed."@en1
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