The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament call for a revision of the current EU rules on toy safety in order for them to reflect the latest scientific evidence pointing out previously unknown toxic chemical substances and risks. According to the S&D Group, no compromise is acceptable when it comes to the safety of children and this makes the current EU Directive from 2009 obsolete. The Socialists and Democrats identified online marketplaces as a place where dangerous toys can still be bought. In their opinion, what is illegal offline must remain illegal online too.
Brando Benifei, S&D MEP and negotiator of the European Parliament on the issue, said:
“The safety of children is an absolute priority for our group. We, the Socialists and Democrats, consider the current Toy Safety Directive from 2009 as a good first step, but it is high-time to go all the way to complete an uncompromised protection of children. There are new scientific data about chemical substances that are now found to be toxic, while digitalisation also changed our daily life beyond recognition in the last decade. The toys our children play with are not an exception. The so-called connected toys and the challenges they pose to our children’s privacy and security make it imperative to provide for robust security features against cyber threats. The proliferation of dangerous toys on online marketplaces is also one of the persistent problems. A strong Digital Services Act and improved market surveillance will be paramount in this regard.”
“The S&D Group’s political family expect a new legislative proposal from the European Commission which will build up on the current EU rules. This would mean not only safety for all European children, but also legal certainty for toy manufacturers, the majority of which are small and medium enterprises.”
