The EU rapid alert system for unsafe products is expected to be extended to the US at the end of the year, European Consumer Affairs Commissioner John Dalli has said.

The system, Rapex, alerts all EU countries when an unsafe product is found anywhere in the 27-member bloc. Its latest bulletin, issued last week, listed 33 products which are deemed unsafe. But in a few months' time EU countries would be informed of unsafe products found across the Atlantic, and vice versa, Mr Dalli said.

Mr Dalli highlighted the importance of ensuring that dangerous products did not enter the EU. This especially went for toys, which could seriously injure, or kill, children.

He said China was of particular importance since 80 per cent of toys sold in the EU were made in that country. "It is imperative to ensure that China has the necessary systems in place to check quality," he said. Product safety will be on the agenda of discussions that Mr Dalli will be holding when he visits China next month.

He stressed the importance of remaining vigilant, even when it came to controlling imports.

Mr Dalli said the Commission would also be revising penalties for those who repeatedly failed to respect the laws. "We are insisting that these penalties be punitive so they can act as a deterrent," he said, adding that being made to remove a product from the shelves was not enough.

Speaking during a conference organised in Malta by Prosafe, Europe's product safety enforcement forum, Mr Dalli said importers should tell their suppliers what standards must be respected and should check that products received complied with all applicable safety requirements.

"The prime responsibility for the safety of products on the EU market lies with those who place them on our market - manufacturers and importers," he said.

The commissioner said the number of notifications through Rapex increased by seven per cent in 2009 and had jumped from 400 to almost 5,000 in just five years, resulting in fewer dangerous goods slipping through the net. Moreover, EU countries were becoming more efficient in enforcing product safety rules.

He said that in 44 per cent of notifications, operators voluntarily took measures against the unsafe products.

Mr Dalli called for more cooperation between authorities, adding that enforcement could not be done from a national perspective. "Stronger cooperation is imperative in addressing the challenges of growing imports from third countries and rapidly changing supply chains."

He said joint actions had shown that close cooperation led to better surveillance. "The exchange of best practices allows authorities to learn from the experience of others. Using resources jointly results in greater efficiency. Discussing common problems leads to more harmonised surveillance."

He said the closer involvement of Customs officers in different countries was also a priority because stopping dangerous products was more efficient at the borders.

"Once the billions of products imported into Europe find their way onto retail shelves, catching the unsafe ones is a little like looking for a needle in a haystack - costly and not very effective," he said.