RAPEX SYSTEM IN THE EU

Dirk H. Meijer Chief public health officer non food Inspectorate for Health Protection and Veterinary Public Health Netherlands Food and Product Safety Authority

Chairman of PROSAFE

CONTENTS

Introduction Inspectorate for Health Protection and Veterinary Public Health International Networks

Prosafe ICPHSO

RAPEX What is RAPEX en how does it work Risk-assessment procedures Information systems Relation with other notification systems

Conclusions

INTRODUCTION

Inspectorate for Health Protection and Veterinary Public Health Enforcement body in the Netherlands for Food, Non-Food and

Veterinary Affairs. About 900 people Two main tasks

Enforcement Research and Reporting

International networks on product safety PROSAFE (www.prosafe.org (under revision)

Product Safety Forum Europe

ICPHSO (www.icphso.org) International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organisation

THE RAPEX SYSTEM (1)

Based on the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) 2001/95/EC Articles 7 and 8

7 notification without urgent measures 8 notification with urgent measures

At this moment wide variation of notifications (0 – 22 per country per year) Many notifications on products from the far East and of unknown

origin

THE RAPEX SYSTEM (2)

At this moment there is no system for assessment of risks System is being set up as this moment by the EC

Exchange of information is very important The ICSMS-system is being built at this moment www.icsms.org

Next to the RAPEX system there are notification systems related to the directives on the new and global approach (LVD, Machinery, etc.)

CONCLUSIONS

Due to several uncertainies the RAPEX system is not yet used as effectively as could be

Effective use needs clear decission making tools to judge risks

A well defined information network is needed

A well functioning informal network (e.g. ex Art. 10 GPSD, or PROAFE/ICPHSO) is needed.

Thus.....

STATEMENTS

1. Since consumer (non-food) products are being traded globally, product safety needs global market surveillance, at least global coordination of surveillance.

  2. Global coordinated market surveillance will only be

succesfull when information between enforcement authorities is shared, which will need a well functioning information exchange system and a informal network (like ICPHSO and PROSAFE) in which people of the organisations can meet en discuss with each other.