By Anthony Fletcher - 24th September 2007
STRASBOURG: Parliament’s consumer protection committee chair Arlene McCarthy has demanded action ahead of today’s commission statement on dangerous toys manufactured in China.
McCarthy is urging consumer protection commissioner Meglena Kuneva to threaten China with a ban if the country cannot meet EU safety standards.
“We cannot afford to do too little too late on this issue,” she said.
“Given that the first recall of dangerous tows was in July in the US, we now need swift action to ensure that toys under the Christmas tree are safe and not dangerous to children’s health.”
McCarthy is also asking the commission to introduce a legal liability for toy importers in the review of Europe’s toy safety laws and to establish an independent accreditation and testing agency to improve standards.
Two safety reports on Chinese goods have already proved unsatisfactory and a third is expected next month under the EU's RAPEX system of rapid alerts about dangerous, non-food items.
In August, the European commission confirmed that US toymaker Mattel would be expanding its recall of dangerous toys in Europe, the second large-scale recall within two weeks of toys of Chinese origin.
The toy was produced by one of Mattel's contract manufacturers in China.
The commission said that the toys in question may release small, powerful magnets that could then be swallowed or placed by a child in their nose or ears.
The toys were sold in 11 EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom, and in Croatia and Switzerland.
According to Mattel, the majority of the stock was still in warehouses and the number of toys that had reached consumers was very low.
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