Among the more than 17,000 products inspected by Poland’s market surveillance system in 2013 and the first half of 2014, nearly 30 percent failed to meet the essential requirements to be labelled ‘CE’.

Consumers across the EU know that products bearing the label CE are safe to use. The label is a manufacturer’s declaration that its product meets the essential requirements that are binding throughout the entire Union. Uniform provisions apply to more than thirty product groups, from electrical appliances (including electronic equipment and white goods) to toys, personal protection equipment to lifts. Entrepreneurs benefit from being able to freely introduce throughout the EU products which comply with the essential requirements.

Poland’s market surveillance system has been in operation since the country was admitted to the EU and is monitored by the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (the UOKiK), who works with inspection bodies including the Trade Inspection Authority, National Labour Inspectorate, Office of Electronic Communications, Inspectorate for Environmental Protection, Office of Rail Transportation, Building Control, State Mining Authority, Maritime Office and Road Transport Inspection.

System operations report

In 2013 and in the first half of 2014, 5,111 of the 17,308 products inspected were questioned. The product types that raised the most objections include tanks and pressure devices, lifts, machines, radio and telecommunication equipment, gas fuel burning devices, low-voltage electrical devices and toys.

610 administrative proceedings were initiated against products that had failed to meet the CE requirements or had caused hazards. We are pleased to report that in 570 cases the entrepreneurs took effective corrective actions.

Under the surveillance system, the UOKiK also maintains the Register of Dangerous Products and participates in RAPEX, the European Rapid Alert System for non-food consumer products.  Within the reporting period, the UOKiK President entered 68 products in the Register - mostly electrical equipment and toys (22 and 32 products, respectively), and sent 40 notifications to other EU Member States about products deemed dangerous to consumers (19 of them were toys and products for children). At the same time, 139 products that ceased to present a hazard to consumers were removed from the Register.

Additional information for the media:

Małgorzata Cieloch, Spokesperson for the UOKiK
Plac Powstańców Warszawy 1
00-950 Warsaw, Poland
Phone: +48 22 827 28 92, +48 22  55 60 106, +48 22 55 60 314
Fax: +48 22 826 11 86
E-mail: [SCODE]bWFsZ29yemF0YS5jaWVsb2NoQHVva2lrLmdvdi5wbA==[ECODE]