Ref. Ares(2022)2004385 - 18/03/2022
Meeting between Commissioner Reynders and the signatories of the Product Safety
Pledge
Virtual meeting, meeting room BER - JREY - JEAN REY -09/11/2021 11:00-12:15
High-level round table meeting with the representatives of
the signatories of the product safety pledge
Opening remarks and briefing
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Meeting between Commissioner Reynders and the signatories of the Product Safety
Pledge
Virtual meeting, meeting room BER - JREY - JEAN REY -09/11/2021 11:00-12:15
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Meeting between Commissioner Reynders and the signatories of the Product Safety
Pledge
Virtual meeting, meeting room BER - JREY - JEAN REY -09/11/2021 11:00-12:15
Opening remarks
In 2018, four online marketplaces –
Amazon,
– voluntarily pledged their
commitment to increase the safety of products sold online.
Today, you are 11 taking part in our Product Safety Pledge.
In the last reporting period, 97% of products identified via
public recall websites, such as EU Safety Gate, were removed
within two working days.
This is brilliant.
I want to say a big thank you, on behalf of the European
Commission for your commitment.
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Meeting between Commissioner Reynders and the signatories of the Product Safety
Pledge
Virtual meeting, meeting room BER - JREY - JEAN REY -09/11/2021 11:00-12:15
We talk a lot about legislation but we know that voluntary
initiatives really work.
You are the proof.
This is why I am keen to extend the Product Safety Pledge
further and why I am happy to have you here with me today.
For example, could we have voluntary pledges to ensure
online reviews are fair?
Could companies like yours pledge to design their online
interfaces in a fair way for consumers?
Could companies pledge to cooperate with enforcers to tackle
the problem of misleading green claims for example?
I know that you are facing changes in the legislative
landscape, not least following the proposals for a Digital
Services Act and a General Product Safety Regulation.
Shortly the Commission will also make a proposal to have
EU-wide rules on sustainable corporate governance.
And we will be making a proposal to ensure that consumers
are empowered to make sustainable choices and contribute to
achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal.
These are all very necessary developments.
Take the GPSD as an example. The General Product Safety
Directive, was adopted in 2002 when only nine percent of
Europeans were shopping online.
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Meeting between Commissioner Reynders and the signatories of the Product Safety
Pledge
Virtual meeting, meeting room BER - JREY - JEAN REY -09/11/2021 11:00-12:15
Last year, seventy-two percent of internet users shopped
online in the EU and the sale of new digital products has
grown in parallel.
This legislation needs to cover these products.
I’ll give you another example. 85% of respondents to a recent
Commission survey said they were unsatisfied or only
partially satisfied with the environmental information
available to them.
One of the reasons frequently given was that they felt
information was generally not sufficient to support consumer
decision-making.
We also know that greenwashing and planned obsolescence
are very real problems which directly hinder our chances of a
sustainable future.
EU legislation needs to address this. This is what we will
shortly propose.
In the meantime, voluntary commitments from companies are
already making a big difference.
For example, the Green Consumption Pledge – which is the
Product Safety Pledge’s sustainable cousin – has encouraged
major EU companies to make new commitments to improve
their sustainability.
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Meeting between Commissioner Reynders and the signatories of the Product Safety
Pledge
Virtual meeting, meeting room BER - JREY - JEAN REY -09/11/2021 11:00-12:15
In short, my message to you is that we cannot afford to wait
for legislation to catch up to reality. And nor do we have to.
I know you know this as your companies have already gone
above and beyond to protect consumers while we ensure that
product safety legislation is fit for the digital era.
So I want to make the Product Safety Pledge bigger and
better, with the widest support and ideas.
This afternoon, DG JUST is also organising the first ever
Annual Digital Consumer Event where we will also share our
ideas for extending voluntary cooperation to other topics.
Of course we can’t do this without you so I look forward to
hearing your thoughts today!
Thank you!
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