General Product Safety Directive

1. Standardisation procedures under the General Product Safety Directive

The Enterprise Europe Network London invites you to participate in an EU consultation on the revision of the General Product Safety Directive. The following survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete.

We are seeking opinions of London-based manufacturers, importers and distributors that have direct experience complying with this Directive and/or are affected by it.

This is a unique opportunity to influence European decision-making and your opinions will be fed back to the EU and used in their assessment of what changes will be made to the existing product safety regulations. A revised draft Directive is due to be proposed by December 2010.

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1. Please fill in the following information before commencing the survey.

Please fill in the following information before commencing the survey. Name:
Company:
Address 1:
Address 2:
City/Town:
Postcode:
Country:
Email Address:
Phone Number:

2. Please describe the market covered by your products

Please describe the market covered by your products Products are sold locally at national level

Products are sold locally at national level and also exported to other EU/EEA Member States

3. For products not covered by any harmonized EU standards you rely on (multiple answers possible):

For products not covered by any harmonized EU standards you rely on (multiple answers possible): National standards transposing European standards that are not referenced in the OJEU

Other national standards

International standards, such as ISO or IEC standards

Product safety codes of good practice in your sector

The state of the art and technology

Reasonable consumer expectations concerning safety

None of the aforementioned [please specify on which other tools you rely]

Don't know

4. Could you estimate the cost of relying on tools other than harmonized EU standards for ensuring compliance of your products with the requirement that "products must be safe"?

Could you estimate the cost of relying on tools other than harmonized EU standards for ensuring compliance of your products with the requirement that "products must be safe"? Yes

No, but the difference in costs is negligible

No, cannot estimate the difference in costs by relying on tools other than European standards referenced in the OJEU

Don't know

If Yes, please provide an estimate in terms of percentage of operating costs or additional time spent (hours/days). If No, you cannot estimate, please indicate the reason why you cannot quantify the difference in costs

5. Ensuring the safety of a product is more costly if there are no harmonized EU standards for that product.

Ensuring the safety of a product is more costly if there are no harmonized EU standards for that product. Strongly agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

6. Would you prefer the use of international standards (such as ISO and/or IEC standards) whenever a risk or a product is not covered by a harmonized EU standard?

Would you prefer the use of international standards (such as ISO and/or IEC standards) whenever a risk or a product is not covered by a harmonized EU standard? Yes

Don't know

7. Would you prefer the application of non-European standards (other than international standards) whenever a risk or a product is not covered by a European standard referenced in the OJEU?

Would you prefer the application of non-European standards (other than international standards) whenever a risk or a product is not covered by a European standard referenced in the OJEU? Yes

Don't know

8. It would help you in marketing of your products if safety requirements were prepared at the EU level and you were directly responsible for complying with them, and standardisation bodies would be developing the technical solutions to meet the requirements.

It would help you in marketing of your products if safety requirements were prepared at the EU level and you were directly responsible for complying with them, and standardisation bodies would be developing the technical solutions to meet the requirements. Strongly agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Don't know

9. In your opinion, should general product safety legislation grant presumption of conformity with an existing standard as an interim measure to address emerging risks while a permanent solution is being developed?

In your opinion, should general product safety legislation grant presumption of conformity with an existing standard as an interim measure to address emerging risks while a permanent solution is being developed? Yes

Don't know

10. In your opinion, should the future general product safety legislation contain provisions where existing European standard developed without a mandate from the EU would directly become a harmonized EU standard, provided that it ensures a high level of consumer protection?

In your opinion, should the future general product safety legislation contain provisions where existing European standard developed without a mandate from the EU would directly become a harmonized EU standard, provided that it ensures a high level of consumer protection? Yes

Don't know

11. In your opinion, should general product safety legislation contain provisions whereby the EU could issue "standing or framework" mandates to a European Standardisation Organisations for developing or revising European standards?

In your opinion, should general product safety legislation contain provisions whereby the EU could issue "standing or framework" mandates to a European Standardisation Organisations for developing or revising European standards? Yes

Don't know

12. Other comments or suggestions concerning standardisation procedures under the General Product Safety Directive?

Other comments or suggestions concerning standardisation procedures under the General Product Safety Directive?

General Product Safety Directive - Feedback

1. Standardisation procedures under the General Product Safety Directive

*1. Please fill in the following information before commencing the survey.

2. Please describe the market covered by your products

3. For products not covered by any harmonized EU standards you rely on (multiple answers possible):

4. Could you estimate the cost of relying on tools other than harmonized EU standards for ensuring compliance of your products with the requirement that "products must be safe"?

5. Ensuring the safety of a product is more costly if there are no harmonized EU standards for that product.

6. Would you prefer the use of international standards (such as ISO and/or IEC standards) whenever a risk or a product is not covered by a harmonized EU standard?

7. Would you prefer the application of non-European standards (other than international standards) whenever a risk or a product is not covered by a European standard referenced in the OJEU?

8. It would help you in marketing of your products if safety requirements were prepared at the EU level and you were directly responsible for complying with them, and standardisation bodies would be developing the technical solutions to meet the requirements.

9. In your opinion, should general product safety legislation grant presumption of conformity with an existing standard as an interim measure to address emerging risks while a permanent solution is being developed?

10. In your opinion, should the future general product safety legislation contain provisions where existing European standard developed without a mandate from the EU would directly become a harmonized EU standard, provided that it ensures a high level of consumer protection?

11. In your opinion, should general product safety legislation contain provisions whereby the EU could issue "standing or framework" mandates to a European Standardisation Organisations for developing or revising European standards?

12. Other comments or suggestions concerning standardisation procedures under the General Product Safety Directive?

*
1. Please fill in the following information before commencing the survey.