The General Product Safety Regulation came into force on the 13th of December (2024).  This new regulation places new responsibilities onto businesses that export into the European Union (EU), Northern Ireland (NI) and the European Economic Area (EEA).

The EU countries are:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

The European Economic Area (EEA):
The EEA includes EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. It allows them to be part of the European Union’s single market.

Everything Dinosaur has been learning about the General Product Safety Regulation.  Furthermore, as a member of the British Chamber of Commerce, we have been helping advisors as well as other businesses to understand their obligations.  In addition, we note that William Bain, the British Chamber of Commerce Head of Trade Policy has published helpful guidance.

Everything Dinosaur’s South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce (SCCCI) membership badge. The company has been a member for more than ten years.

What is the Impact of the General Product Safety Regulation?

William Bain stated that larger businesses are likely to be compliant with the new regulation without too much adjustment.  For example, larger manufacturers and suppliers may already have a responsible person nominated for other regulatory purposes. For instance, under 2019/1020 market surveillance regulations.  Indeed, bigger manufacturers and economic operators in the supply chain may be registered in or located within the European Union.

The Head of the British Chamber of Commerce’s Trade Policy added:

“For smaller firms or sole traders, the new obligations will be a big change and will incur additional costs or compliance burdens. They will have to hire a service provider willing to act as a responsible economic operator (Authorised Representative) on their behalf in these markets.”

For some small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and sole traders, the new rules will act as an additional barrier to sending goods to Northern Ireland, the EU and the EEA.

To read Everything Dinosaur’s earlier article about the General Product Safety Regulation: New Consumer Safety Regulations (GPSR).

What are the Solutions?

In an article published today, (16th of December, 2024) William Bain outlined some of the ways in which the UK Government could help businesses. Even if the UK government aligned its legislation with that of the EU, the fact that there are separate market surveillance and enforcement regimes means the issues would still exist.

How can the UK Government help?  Here are some steps that were recommended:

• Guidance needs to be simpler, more easily understandable, and better directed at small business needs.
• The UK Government must issue guidance earlier and be more effective in communicating with small businesses about changes to allow them to prepare.
• Businesses must be informed at an earlier stage about how to ensure compliance and mitigate the costs of regulatory change.
• Support is required from UK Government to enable compliance and to mitigate the financial impact on businesses.

In summarising the new General Product Safety Regulation and its impact, William Bain commented:

“This speaks to the need for a step change on regulatory cooperation between the EU and UK, with business interests at its heart.”

Everything Dinosaur is an award-winning member of the South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce. The company has been a member for more than a decade.

We acknowledge the assistance of an article published by the British Chamber of Commerce in the compilation of this article.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur Toys and Models.