Slovak Trade Inspection

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Slovak Trade Inspection

• Country preparation and expectation from new
  cooperation under Regulation on Market
  Surveillance
• The 5th workshop of the UNECE MARS Group
• 10 13 October 2007 Bratislava

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Scope of presentation

• Competencies of Slovak Trade Inspection
• Planning of controls
• Overview of control actions in 2006 and 2007
• Brief overview of annual results
• Main experience in last years (changes, problems,
  similarities and differences...
• Co-operation
• Information

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Competencies of Slovak Trade Inspection

• Act on State Control of Internal Market in the
  Consumer Protection Matters (the sphere of
  authority of STI, the rights and duties of the
  inspectors, the rights and duties of the
  inspected persons, powers - protective measures
  and fines)
• Act on Technical Requirements for Products and On
  Conformity Assessment Procedures (the system of
  government ordinances transposition of the New
  Approach Directives)
• Act on Consumer Protection (transposition of the
  General Product Safety Directive in the form
• of Governmental Ordinance to the Act )

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New Approach Directives

• Machinery Directive
• Low Voltage Directive
• Electromagnetic compatibility
• Toy Safety Directive
• Pressure Equipment Directive
• Personal Protective Equipment Directive
• Recreational Craft
• Radio equipment and telecommunications terminal
  equipment
• Appliances Burning Gaseous Fuels
• Refrigeration appliances
• Noise Emission
• Construction products

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Other Acts regarding protection of consumers
economic interests ...

• Acts on
• Prices
• Protection of Non-smokers
• Conditions for the Marketing of Products and the
  Provision of Services in Market Places
• Consumer Protection at Door-to-Door Sale and
  Home-Delivery Sale
• Emergency Reserves of Oil and Oil Products and on
  Resolution of Oil Crisis
• Advertising
• Financial services
• Consumer Credit

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Other Acts regarding protection of consumers
economic interests ...

• Conducted Tours, Conditions for the Enterprise of
  Travel Offices and Agencies
• E-commerce
• Waste
• Packing
• Building Products
• Chemical Substances and Preparation
• Conditions for the Launch of Biocide Products
  onto the Market
• Protection of some TV and Radio broadcasting
  services
• Passenger rights in air transport

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Planning of control based on

• complaints of consumers and economic operators
• announcements of other administration bodies
• new legal norms
• experience from previous controls
• experience from appeal procedures
• follow-up of the measures
• notifications from RAPEX system
• risk assessment

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Overview of control actions in 2006

• Pressure cookers
• common action within EU
• Toys, household electric appliances, textile
  goods for children, baby carriages, child car
  seats
• cross-border cooperation with Hungary and
  the Czech Republic
• Playground equipment, novelty lighters, motor
  chainsaw, mini-motorbikes, thermo-insulation
  materials
• action based on the RAPEX findings
• Sunglasses, textile and leather goods, crash
  helmets
• proactive action

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Overview of control actions in 2007

• Extension leads (LVD), control of electric
  products subject to EMC, novelty lighters
• common action within EU
• Toys (content of phthalates), childrens
  bicycles, writing materials like pens, pencils,
  crayons, markers, tempera
• cross-border cooperation with Hungary and
  the Czech Republic
• Textile goods for children, recreational craft,
  electric fans, shoes sold at market places, toys
  with colorful surface
• proactive action

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RAPEX system
year 2004 2005 2006 2007
Number of notifications 238 540 653 937
findings of dangerous products 37 (5-R) 57 (22-R) 78 (15-R) 137(11-R)
dangerous products from third countries 76 60 54 52
dangerous products of unknown origin 8 23 31 28
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Dangerous products
year 2004 2005 2006 2007
Number of dangerous products 37 57 78 137
Harmonized area 87 70 63 62
Non-harmonized area 13 30 37 38
Products with CE mark 0 60 78 75
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CE marking

• Despite of the fact that
• more than 70 of dangerous products in
  harmonized area were labeled with CE mark
• we support retaining the mark on condition that
• its justified use will be systematically
  monitored by market surveillance authorities.

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Main experience within control activity

• there have been no dramatic changes in market
  surveillance principles
• market surveillance performance has become more
  difficult
• variety of commodities with identified risk has
  been increasing together withreasons of unsafe
• CE mark loses its credibility
• high number of notifications from RAPEX requires
  higher capacity
• problems with translation of materials
• duty to complete investigation process before
  posting information to RAPEXmakes system less
  dynamic
• economic operators take voluntary measures
• gradual transition of controls from harmonized to
  non-harmonized area
• general problems with products imported from
  third countries
• general problems with safety of toys and electric
  appliances

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Co-operation with

• other relevant market surveillance bodieswithin
  national and common market
• customs authorities
• university and forensic experts
• notified and authorized bodies
• consumer associations
• police authorities

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Administrative cooperation
year 2005 2006 2007
Czech Republic 7 23 23
Poland 1 3 13
Hungary 1 5 3
Austria 1 4
Italy 4
Germany 1 2
Spain 2
France 1
Netherlands 1
Slovenia 1
Together 10 36 50
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Cooperation with Customs Authorities

• January 2001
• Convention on cooperation
• November 2004
• reviewed Convention
• (according to Regulation 339/93)
• August 2006
• reviewed Convention
• (according to Decision 2006/498 lighters
• 2007
• regularly meetings, seminars and trainings

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Information and education via media, Internet,
annual reports...

• On web site www.soi.sk
• overview of the dangerous products which were
  found on our market
• overview of all notifications on the internal
  market
• important warnings sent by manufacturers in case
  they launched a product which might pose a risk
  to consumers

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Thank you

• For further information, please contact
• Nadezda Machutova
• General Director
• Slovak Trade Inspection
• Prievozská 32
• 827 99 Bratislava 27
• Slovak Republic
•  
• Tel [phone] Fax[phone]
• Web-site www.soi.sk
• e-mail machutova_at_soi.sk