Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-12-14-Speech-1-209"
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"en.20091214.19.1-209"2
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"Madam President, Commissioner, we requested this debate in order to correct and clarify exactly what in these claims is true and what is merely cheap populism. That was the background to this. We would have expected the Commission to go to the press sooner, but if the matter can be cleared up through this debate, we will be very happy with that.
I welcome the announcement that you are going to carry out tests with regard to heavy metals and softening agents. I believe that is urgently needed. I would like to point out that the number of new cases of cancer in children under 15 years of age rose by more than 50% between 1980 – when data began to be collected – and 2006.
Malignant tumours are the second most common cause of death in children. We therefore need to act, we need to check whether these figures are correct and we need to respond accordingly. If this latest study by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment shows that the revised Toys Directive does not provide sufficient protection from carcinogenic softening agents, we will have to take action.
It cannot be the case that children can take up many times the quantity of carcinogenic substances in just one hour of skin contact than are contained in the smoke from 40 cigarettes. These substances can be avoided. The study shows that this is technically possible. Seventy percent of toys sold are below these thresholds. Therefore, it is possible at any time to require the other toys to meet these limit values, too. It is presumably a question of price, but that cannot be regulated by the market alone when the safety of children is at risk. Political action needs to be taken to adjust and raise the threshold values accordingly.
Of course, Member States are responsible for market surveillance, not Europe, Parliament or the Commission. We have also called on Germany many times to take its duties in the area of market surveillance seriously and to take the relevant action. However, that does not, by any means, mean that we do not need to take action where there is doubt as to whether our threshold values reflect the latest scientific findings, and therefore it is my hope and request that the new Commission will present proposals to Parliament as soon as possible so that we can then adjust the relevant limit values in the comitology procedure."@en1
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