Products intended for professionals and service provision must meet the general safety requirements as outlined in the Code of Economic Law, Book IX on the Safety of Products and Services. The services referred to include the provision of a product to consumers or professionals, as well as the use of a product by a service provider directly related to the provision of the service. For certain products and services, these general safety requirements are supplemented by specific regulations.
The Code of Economic Law, and specifically Book IX on the safety of products and services, will soon be amended by the entry into force of Regulation 2023/988 on 13 December 2024.
Obligations for the Producer
As a producer (manufacturer, manufacturer's representative, importer, service provider, etc.), you must meet the following obligations:
- Only supplying to market or only offering products and services that are safe;
- Inform consumers of the risks of a product or service by including appropriate instructions for use and warnings;
- Supply your name and contact details, as well as a product reference (or the batch to which it belongs) on your product or packaging;
- Take measures to update people on the risks associated with products or services that have been supplied and taking action to prevent these risks;
- Notify the Central Contact Point immediately if you know that a product or service you have put on the market poses a risk to the user;
- Cooperate with the authorities in actions taken to prevent risks associated with the products you market or the services you provide.
If you learn that a product or service you have placed on the market poses a risk to the user, you must immediately notify the Central Contact Point for Products of the action (recall or otherwise) that you have taken.
If one of your products is unsafe, you can find guidelines on taking corrective measures on this page.
If any of the services you offer have resulted in a serious incident or accident, you must report it immediately to the Central Contact Point for Products using the reporting form.
Obligations for the Distributor
As a distributor, you must also contribute towards general safety obligations. Therefore, you must meet the following obligations:
- Supply only products that are safe;
- Work with the authorities and producers to investigate the source of products and collaborating on measures for preventing risks associated with the products that you supply;
- Immediately notify the Central Contact Point if you know that a product you supply poses a risk to the user.
