Prosafe, the product safety enforcement forum for Europe, is a non-profit organisation for officers from market surveillance authorities of all member states of the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA).

The organisation’s main objective is to improve the safety of users of non-food products and services in Europe. Such safety is ensured by carrying out joint market surveillance actions, which are partly funded by the EU through a 70 per cent grant from the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers (DG Sanco).

Prosafe has been co-ordinating these joint actions since 2006. Within each joint action, a number of European countries work together to investigate the safety of a specific product.

This usually involves developing a sampling plan, drawing up a test protocol, often based on the applicable voluntary standards, having the products tested and taking the necessary measures to ensure consumers are protected from products posing serious risks. Corrective action is then implemented as necessary by the participating countries.

Following the success of a number of actions undertaken by Prosafe in recent years, more market-surveillance activities started on five more products last year: children’s fancy dress costumes; food imitation products; ladders; laser pointers; and visibility clothing and accessories.

Besides the usual product safety activities by National Market Surveillance authorities, this time round the project is also focusing on a number of horizontal issues.

These include cooperation with customs; outreach to China; international co-operation; co-ordination of dissemination and use of results by all member states; stakeholder outreach and other communications activities; follow-up with standards organisations; and co-ordination with EMARS11 and other ongoing and future joint actions.

Malta, through the Market Surveillance Directorate of the Technical Regulations Division at the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority is a very active participant.

In fact, this directorate has hosted one of the meetings of the 2010 Joint Actions – the one on ladders. Its main objective is to build knowledge about the market for ladders, the standards applied and to what degree ladders on the market comply with standards.

For more information on Prosafe-related activities, call the Market Surveillance Directorate on 2395 2000.

info@mccaa.org.mt

odette.vella@mccaa.org.mt

Ms Vella is senior information officer, Office for Consumer Affairs, Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority.