Product safety has been largely regulated through EU harmonised law (legislation that applies throughout the EU as a whole), which covers about 70% of products on the market.
For non-harmonised products, the relevant legislation is the General Product Safety Directive, which sets down a requirement that all non-food consumer products be safe.
Only safe products may be placed on the EU market. Market Surveillance Authorities (MSA) are responsible for ensuring product safety at a national level. For a list of MSA and the areas for which they have responsibility, see Irish Market Surveillance Authorities. MSA operate with the powers outlined in Regulation (EC) No. 765/2008, which sets down rules on accreditation (see Irish National Accreditation Board) and market surveillance. For further information on sectors, see product safety sectors.
For details of the Irish Market Surveillance Authorities along with information of their market surveillance procedures for 2019, see Market Surveillance Plan for Ireland 2019.
The Market Surveillance Forum was set up in 2009 and has representatives from all MSA. It meets regularly to discuss market surveillance issues and to coordinate a national response to EU market surveillance issues.
Notified Body procedure
This Department is the Notifying Authority for a number of EU directives and prospective notified bodies are asked to follow the procedure set out in the procedure for the appointment of a Notified Body document in order to apply for notified body status.
Mutual recognition
Products that do not fall under EU harmonised law but are lawfully marketed in one of the EU Member States should be allowed to be sold in any other Member State. If a Member State wants to use national technical rules to prevent this (for reasons of, for example, public safety, public health or environmental concerns) then it has to abide by the procedure set out in Regulation (EC) No. 764/2008.
Under this Regulation, Member States have to set up product contact points to provide information on national technical rules – the NSAI is the Irish product contact point.
Product safety and customs
Customs authorities play a vital role in ensuring unsafe or non-compliant products are not imported from third countries and placed on the EU market. In order to perform adequate checks on such products the Irish Customs authority co-operates closely with MSA and abides by EU guidelines.
For more information regarding customs procedures contact:
Customs Division,
Office of the Revenue Commissioners,
2nd Floor,
Treasury Building,
Dublin Castle,
Dublin 2,
D02 PD90.
Tel: +353 1 738 3676
Email: rcpr@revenue.ie
For more information regarding MSA and market surveillance contact:
Emma Geraghty
Consumer Policy Section,
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment,
Earlsfort Centre,
Lower Hatch Street,
Dublin 2.
Tel: +353 1 631 2625
Email: emma.geraghty@enterprise.gov.ie