Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-12-15-Speech-1-162"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20081215.16.1-162"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, it is clear that, following last year’s toy safety scares and recalls in the run-up to Christmas, our current toy safety law drafted in 1988 cannot deal with the new risks and threats to children’s safety. Twenty years on, 80% of toys in the EU and 95% in my own country are imported from third countries, predominantly China. Twenty years on, we are better informed about the risks and hazards of certain chemicals and substances. Twenty years on, the design of toys has changed, with toys containing powerful magnets and more electronic components, using lasers and emitting more noise. That is why the toy safety scares and recalls were a wake-up call for Europe to radically review, update and strengthen the standards of our toy safety law.
Our new law will do more to reassure parents that the toys on our shelves are safer: not safe, but safer. Importers, not just manufacturers, will be responsible for ensuring the toys they bring into Europe meet our tough new standards. The fact is that manufacturers are banned from using harmful substances in toys such as lead, CMRs and fragrances which can provoke or trigger allergies in children.
We have toughened up the rules on choking and suffocation risks. We have introduced clear and more effective warnings on toys. The law will only work, though, if it is enforced, and that is why it is good that we are giving more power in this law to 27 Member States’ enforcement bodies to demand all the necessary information they need for any operator in the supply chain and, where necessary, to conduct raids on premises. In addition, all the EU’s enforcement bodies are legally obliged to cooperate and share information to tackle the risk of unsafe toys.
My congratulations, therefore, to Mrs Thyssen. Thanks to the good cooperation with the Commission and the French presidency we have done three things. We have met our deadline in the EP resolution last year of voting in a new toy safety law before Christmas 2008. I believe that if we wait any longer the legislation would not be any better. We can give parents confidence that toys on sale in the EU will be safer in future, and we are also sending out today a strong message to manufacturers, brand owners and importers that they must meet our high safety standards or there will be no place for their products on our shelves.
By voting for this law, we say clearly that we are not prepared to tolerate toxic toys and dangerous toys in Europe."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata | |
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples