Brussels, 29 November 2022: Classifieds Marketplaces Europe (CME) welcomes the agreement reached on 28 November by negotiators of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR).
CME fully supports the efforts to modernise the rules for all economic operators (manufacturers, importers, and distributors) and update them for online businesses and online marketplaces. Transforming the directive into a regulation will ensure a sound legal framework to guarantee that products are safe and follow European standards. In particular, we welcome the balanced approach and the consistency with the Digital Services Act (DSA) regarding the definition and obligations of online marketplaces. We understand that attempts made by a few Member States requiring ex-ante random checks for unsafe products have been rejected, instead, the text has been rightly aligned with the DSA requirement for random ex-post checks.
The coalition also welcomes the extended application period of 18 months after entry into force of the regulation, which will allow stakeholders to put in place the appropriate mechanisms for compliance.
Carolin Wehrhahn, chair of CME and Director of EU Public Affairs at Adevinta, says: “We congratulate the European Commission, the Parliament and the Council on reaching an agreement on this important file, which provides for the highest standards for consumer protection online across the EU. As second-hand marketplaces, we are particularly happy to see that co-legislators recognised the importance of alignment with the DSA.”
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Classifieds Marketplaces Europe
Classifieds Marketplaces Europe is a coalition of industry-leading EU-based tech companies operating online classifieds platforms in 21 European countries. Our aim is to empower citizens to strengthen the circular economy and local communities. By combining our resources, we are raising awareness about the specificities of the online classifieds’ sector and its positive contribution to key objectives of the EU digital and green agenda.
For more information, contact Carolin Wehrhahn, CME Chair: carolin.wehrhahn@adevinta.com