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| 25/08/2010 |
| Oeko Fair 2010 |
| The ECC Luxemburg will be represented at the Oeko Fair 2010 which will take place from 17th-19th January 2010. We invite you to visit our stand 8C66. |
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| 04/06/2010 |
| Food safety: From the Farm to the Fork |
The EU integrated approach to food safety aims to assure a high level of food safety, animal health, animal welfare and plant health within the European Union through coherent farm-to-table measures and adequate monitoring, while ensuring the effective functioning of the internal market.
The implementation of this approach involves the development of legislative and other actions:
To assure effective control systems and evaluate compliance with EU standards in the food safety and quality, animal health, animal welfare, animal nutrition and plant health sectors within the EU and in third countries in relation to their exports to the EU;
To manage international relations with third countries and international organisations concerning food safety, animal health, animal welfare, animal nutrition and plant health;
To manage relations with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and ensure science-based risk management.
In this context this year’s EU Veterinary Week will run from 14 to 20 June. The theme will be identification and traceability along the food chain. The week will be launched in Brussels by a two-day conference focussing on the link between identification and traceability for veterinary purposes and the numerous additional benefits along the food chain. It is expected to attract over 400 participants including Chief Veterinary Officers from Member States as well as representatives of third countries, international organisations, EU veterinary faculties, stakeholder organisations and journalists. More information and the program of the conference can be found on the internet site of the European Commission.
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| 07/05/2010 |
| Volcanic ash crisis, european assistance to passangers |
Memo:
"Volcanic Ash Crisis: Frequently asked questions"
Sites of interest:
- Health Protection Agency - United Kingdom
- Met Office
- European project CITEAIR
- GMES : projections on volcanic ash cloud
- Near real time measurements of particulate matter with ground stations
- BE: National warning of air pollution episodes
- Flight activities over Europe
- Opening and closure of airports
JRC situation reports
- 20 April 2010
- 19 April 2010
- 17 April 2010
- 16 April 2010
Help for consumers affected by the volcanic cloud
Press statement on the volcanic cloud
Press statement on the volcanic cloud
Your rights as an air passenger apply to flight cancellations or delays caused by the volcanic ash cloud. They include:
- the right to receive information from airlines (to be informed about their rights and the situation as it evolves);
- the right to care (refreshments, meals, accommodation as appropriate);
- the right to choose between reimbursement of fares or be re-routed to final destination.
But in exceptional circumstances you are not entitled to additional financial compensation that would be the case where delays or cancellations are the fault of the airline.
If the cancelled flight has been purchased as part of a package holiday, you have more extended rights. If you have not yet started your trip you have the right to obtain a refund for the entire package (including e.g. the flight and the hotel) and if you are stranded you have the right to assistance on the spot.
You can find more information in our ’Questions & Answers’ document .
Complaint forms
If you are affected by the situation, you should contact your airlines or travel agents first. If you booked a package holiday you can download a complaint form here.
If you only booked an airline ticket, you can find a similar complaint form here.
Where to address your complaint
You should first send your complaint to your airline or your travel agent. You can search for the contact details of your airline’s head office in the membership directory of these airline associations:
- IATA – the worldwide association of airlines
- AEA – the association of European airlines
- ERA – the association of European regional airlines
- ELFAA – the European low fares airline association
- IACA – the international air carrier association
- ECTAA – The European Association of travel Agents and tour operators
Who to contact if you need additional help to enforce your rights
If you are experiencing problems having your consumer rights respected, you are advised to contact a European Consumer Centre, a national consumer organisation or a national enforcement body.
If you only bought an airline ticket, the contact details of the national enforcement bodies responsible can be found here.
If you have bought a package holiday the contact details of the national enforcement authorities responsible can be found here.
If you need to find the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body responsible in your country for dealing with volcanic cloud related disputes, you can consult this table.
If you do not reach an agreement with your airline or your travel agent and the value of your claim is less than 2000 €, you can under some conditions use the small claims procedure to resolve the dispute.
Other site of interest:
- More information on air passengers’ rights
- More information on rights when buying a package holiday |
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| 21/04/2010 |
| Annual RAPEX Report 2009 shows efficiency of EU’s cooperation on dangerous products |
The number of dangerous consumer products notified through the EU’s rapid alert system for non-food dangerous products ("RAPEX") rose by 7% in 2009 compared to 2008, the Commission’s annual RAPEX report shows today. This rise from 1866 notifications in 2008 to 1993 last year shows that the capacity of the RAPEX system has increased again in 2009, following more effective market surveillance by Member States. European businesses are also taking their responsibilities in the consumer product safety area more seriously and recall their unsafe products from the market more readily. They also begin to use the dedicated rapid alert system for business (’Business Application’) more systematically. Toys, clothing and motor vehicles were the most frequently notified products in 2009. In addition, the results of an EU market surveillance exercise, involving 13 countries checking the safety of toys, were also presented today, and show that around 20% did not comply with the relevant safety requirements.
John Dalli, Commissioner in charge of Health & Consumer Policy said: "This report serves as our annual reality check of the safety of products on the EU market for EU citizens. Safety is of critical personal relevance to Member States, and in the past six years RAPEX has become an example of the effectiveness of EU cooperation in this area".
The number of notified dangerous products is still growing
The total number of notifications distributed through the RAPEX system has risen gradually since 2004 (when the General Product Safety Directive, was transposed into the national laws by Member States). In this sixth year, the number of notifications has more than quadrupled from 468 (in 2004) to 1993 (in 2009). In 2009, the number of notifications rose by 7% compared to 2008.
The growth in RAPEX notifications, and the increased capacity of the system, is a result of:
- more effective product safety enforcement by national authorities;
- more efficient investment of resources;
- greater awareness among businesses of their obligations;
- enhanced cooperation with third countries;
- network-building actions and training across Member States coordinated by the European Commission.
As regards the countries of origin, the number of notifications on products from China sent through RAPEX showed a slow increase (of 1%, from 59% in 2008 to 60% in 2009. There was a decrease in the number of notifications which did not contain information about the country of origin of the notified product.
All countries contribute to RAPEX
All EU countries participated in the RAPEX system by detecting and notifying new dangerous products and ensuring appropriate follow-up actions to the information received. Half of the countries further increased their activities in the system and notified more dangerous products than in 2008. The countries making most notifications were Spain (220 notifications), Germany (187 notifications), Greece (154 notifications), Bulgaria (122 notifications) and Hungary (119 notifications). Notifications sent by these countries represent 47% of all notifications on products posing a serious risk sent via the system.
Toys, clothing, textiles and motor vehicles top the list
Toys (472 notifications), clothing and textiles (395 notifications) and motor vehicles (146 notifications) accounted for 60% of all notifications on products posing a serious risk in 2009. Electrical appliances (138 notifications) became the fourth most frequently notified category of product.
Results of the EU market surveillance check on toy safety
In 2009, market surveillance authorities in 13 (1) countries conducted a specific check on toy safety. They inspected over 14.000 toys for compliance with relevant safety legislation. The inspections took place mainly at importers and retailers, with customs checking 160 incoming shipments of toys.
Of the inspected toys, 803 samples were sent to a laboratory for tests on mechanical safety aspects (576 samples) and heavy metal content (227 samples). 200 samples failed the mechanical tests, while only 17 samples failed the heavy metal requirements. This resulted in many RAPEX notifications and corrective actions were taken by the national authorities against the unsafe toys found.
The main aim of the project (co-ordinated by PROSAFE, the EU network of surveillance authorities (2)) was to reduce the amount of unsafe toys on the EU market. It also enabled Member States to gain experience in working together for better surveillance and enforcement of the safety rules. National authorities will intensify their work to ensure compliance with the relevant safety requirements and to inform and educate economic operators and consumers.
For more information, please see:
MEMO/10/129
MEMO/10/130
And
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/safety/news/index_en.htm
1 : Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Slovak Republic, The Netherlands
2 : Product Safety Enforcement Forum of Europe is a non-profit organisation established by market surveillance officers from various countries throughout Europe and supported by the European Commission - it aims to enhance market surveillance through best practice. www.prosafe.org |
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