EU parliament pledges tough action on Chinese toys

MEPs in Strasbourg have urged member states to enforce toy safety laws with more rigour.

The demand follows the recall in the UK on Wednesday of 2500 toys sold by Mattel, the latest in a series of safety scares involving Chinese products.

Last month, toy maker Fisher Price, whcih is owned by Mattel, had to recall almost 1.5m Chinese-made toys worldwide.

The recalls, which include Barbie doll accessories, provoked deputies in Strasbourg to say that parents are being misled into believing that Europe’s CE toy certification symbol is a guarantee of high safety standards.

UK Tory MEP Malcolm Harbour, his party’s single market spokesman, said, “The simple solution is that member states must ensure that product safety rules, especially for toys, are properly enforced.

“Rogue manufacturers who fail to comply with EU product safety rules must be driven off the market.”

His comments were echoed by British Socialist deputy Arlene McCarthy, who raised the issue of Chinese toys in a debate on Thursday in parliament.

“The EU’s rapid alert system for dangerous products shows that 48 per cent of them have their origin in China and one quarter of those products are children’s toys,” said McCarthy, chair of parliament’s consumer protection committee.

In the debate on undertaking a review of the EU’s consumer laws, she too stressed the need to strengthen the enforcement of legislation.

“If national authorities are not enforcing the rules, they cannot effectively protect our consumers.”

McCarthy is calling for tougher controls to intercept dangerous goods and for importers and brand owners to check products are safe before they are put on sale.

Addressing the MEPs in Strasbourg, EU consumer protection commissioner Meglena Kuneva emphasised the need for Europe to convey a unified message if China is to change its ways.

“To have a strong voice, we need to be united,” she told members.

She will attend the consumer protection committee meeting in Brussels next week to discuss a strategy to protect children from harmful Chinese toys and other products.

China has acknowledged that part of the blame should be shouldered by Chinese manufacturers that cut corners and used sub-standard materials.

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