We are delighted to invite you to a hybrid event which will be held on Tuesday, 24th of January at 17.00 and will last around an hour and a half.
This event will consist of an afternoon of discussion on the obligations and responsibilities of business entities in terms of consumer safety stemming from the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) and the Product Liability Directive (PLD). The event will also be an opportunity to discuss how consumer safety can enhance innovation and the success of the Single Market with our distinguished speakers:
- Mr Omar Ennaji, Legal and Policy Officer, Digital Transformation of Industry, DG GROW, European Commission;
- Ms Laetitia Kister, Head of Product Safety and Compliance, EMEA, Amazon;
- Mr Fabian Ladda, Head of Policy for Local Commerce, Wolt.
The event will be moderated by Matthew Newman, Chief Correspondent, MLex.
This event is public and it will be held both on-line and on-site.
This event is kindly supported by
About the debate
On the 28th of September 2022, the European Commission proposed a legislative initiative about product liability rules. The proposal revises the Product Liability Directive (PLD) by addressing the questions around the burden of proof in complex cases, the restrictions on claims, as well as liability gaps for defective products bought through direct sales from sellers and manufacturers located outside of the EU. The proposal also aims to ensure balance between the legitimate interests of manufacturers and consumers, when the latter might be affected by defective products.
In June 2021, the European Commission proposed the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), which aims to impose additional obligations on economic operators to tackle the sale of unsafe products. These obligations will further provide product safety obligations for distributors, while manufacturers must keep distributors, importers and online marketplaces informed of any safety issue they identify and investigate any complaint about their product on the market. An important objective of the proposal was to close the perceived responsibility gap in cases where unsafe products were purchased by EU consumers from sellers and manufacturers located outside of the EU through direct sales.
With the GPSR trilogue phase of the EU decision making process concluded, the file allocations and consideration of the PLD is about to begin. The GPSR and the revision of the PLD should be complementary mechanisms to foster the Single Market and protect consumers at the same time. While the GPSR and other product safety legislation ensure that no unsafe products are being sold within the internal market, the PLD empowers consumers to seek redress where damages have materialised due to the defectiveness of a product.
Some observers have therefore stressed the need for further clarification on the obligations and responsibilities of business entities to ensure consumer safety through the GPSR and the PLD. The discussion about product safety and liability continues the broader debate not only on the role of product manufacturers and distributors but also on how consumer safety can enhance innovation and the success of the Single Market.
The event will start at 17.00 on-line, while the on-site welcoming at L42 (Rue de la Loi, 42, Brussels) will begin at 16.30.
The discussion will last around an hour and a half.
Due to a limited number of seats, if you wish to attend this event in person, please await final confirmation from us after registration.
The audience will be able to ask questions both in person or through sli.do #ProductLiability
This is a public event, hence the Chatham House Rule will not apply.
We look forward to hosting you on the 24th of January 2023.
