General regulations
The general safety requirements for products and services are prescribed in the Code of Economic Law, book IX on safety of products and services.
This Code transposes the European Directive 2001/95/EC of 3 December 2001 on general product safety. This legislation encompasses all requirements for all general safety aspects. It is a comprehensive legislation on the safety of products and services.
Specific regulations
For certain groups of products or services, these general safety requirements are supplemented with more specific regulations. Some products may fall under more than one regulation and, as a result, must comply with all the requirements of these different regulations.
You can consult the specific regulations for each of the below-mentioned products or services.
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Products with a misleading appearance |
Products that do not fall under the scope of application of these regulations:
- food products
- animal food
- pharmaceuticals
- chemical substances and preparations
- biocides
- phytopharmaceuticals
- fertilisers
Obligations for producers
As a producer (manufacturer, manufacturer's representative, importer, etc.) you must fulfil the following obligations:
- only supplying safe products and services;
- informing the user of the risks posed by a product or service by providing the necessary user instructions and warnings;
- supplying your name and contact details as well as a product reference (or the batch to which it belongs) on your product or packaging;
- taking measures to stay informed on the risks associated with products or services that have been supplied and taking action to prevent these risks;
- immediately notifying the Central Contact Point if a product or service that you supplied poses a risk to the consumer;
- cooperating with the authorities' actions to prevent risks associated with products that you supply.
If you are aware that the products or services that you supply poses a risk to the consumer, you must notify the Central Contact Point of the measures (recall or other) that you have undertaken.
If one of your products is unsafe, you can find guidelines on taking corrective measures on this page.
Obligations for distributors
As a distributor, you must also contribute to the general safety obligations and comply with the following obligations:
- only supplying or offering safe products and services;
- informing the user of the risks posed by a product or service by providing the necessary user instructions and warnings and maintaining documentation;
- cooperating with authorities and producers to trace the origin of products and taking the appropriate measures for preventing risks associated with the products that you supply;
- immediately notifying the Central Contact Point if a product or service that you supply poses a risk to the consumer;
More information on the obligations
Further information can be found in the document "Questions and answers on the interpretation of provisions about the safety of products and services in the Code of Economic Law".
Control
The FPS Economy continuously monitors the Belgian market and ensures that the products and services supplied on the market fulfil the safety requirements. Targeted monitoring campaigns are regularly organised in order to randomly investigate the safety of specific product groups.
You can consult the final reports of these campaigns carried out over the past few years in the 'Publications' section below.
If we consider a product to be dangerous, we can take the necessary steps, depending on the situation. Administrative penalties (warnings, recalls, sales bans, destruction, etc.) as well as legal sanctions (fines or summons) may be imposed.
Disputes and complaints
If you wish to make a complaint relating to the safety of products and services, please contact the Contact Point.
