1. The Rapid Alert System: What’s in it for you?
Alicia GONZÁLEZ CHAVES
European Commission
Directorate-General Justice and Consumer
Product Safety and Rapid Alert System

2. European Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products – what is it?
System for rapid exchange of information between MS and EFTA/EEA countries (28+3) and the European Commission about measures and actions taken in relation to products posing a serious risk to consumers
RAPEX general

3. RAPEX networks a) RAPEX Contact Points network at European level:
31 RAPEX National Contact Points, 1 per MS/EEA
b) National RAPEX networks in Member States
RAPEX Contact Points
Customs authorities
Market surveillance authorities
Etc.

4. Notification criteria for Member States
Consumer/professional product
Consumer harmonised & non-harmonised / Non-consumer harmonised
Excluding food/feed, pharmaceutical, medical devices
2) Posing a serious risk to the health and safety of consumers and to environment
Serious risk only
National authorities = risk assessors
3) Subject to measures which prevent, restrict or impose specific conditions on the marketing and use
Mandatory and voluntary measures
All kinds of preventive or restrictive measures (sales ban, withdrawal, recall, etc.)
4) The serious risk has a cross-border effect
go beyond the territory of one Member State
RAPEX general & legal

5. RAPEX notifications… …contain information necessary to:
Identify the product
Identify the marketing and distribution channels
Trace origin of the product
Determine the related risks
Identify the measures taken to prevent risks
Composition of risk assessment in GRAS

6. RAPEX Worflow Notification created at MS level
Notification validated at MS level (by the RAPEX contact point)
Notification checked by the Commission
Notification validated by the Commission and distributed to all countries
Publication of an extract of the notification on the RAPEX public website
Follow up of the notification by other countries: possible submission of a reaction
Helmuth asked us to present our service/where we are working
I'm one of several persons checking the notifications in terms of accurateness, coherence, information/photos, legislation, info for the web…sending follow-up questions to the MS if necessary or liaising with other services of the EC
- Working on IT changes

7. Follow-up to RAPEX notifications
After receiving the notification all Member States must examine the notification and:
Find out if the product was marketed on their territory
Perform risk assessment (if needed)
Evaluate whether national measures should be adopted
Collect any relevant information
Submit a « reaction » to the Commission via RAPEX if relevant

8. Interesting for economic operators…
1. Publication (search, weekly reports, etc.)
2. Statistical tool
All info at

9. 1. Notifications are published online

10. Example - a notification from Malta

11. 2. Statistical tool

12. Economic operators: Tools to comply with their obligations
3. Business gateway
4. RAG tool (Risk Assessment Guidelines)
All info at

13. 3. « Old » Business Application…

14. …to be replaced by Business Gateway (mid-March 2018)

16. Submission form New features: Panel view
Direct creation and submission of notifications in the application, no need to generate and send pdfs
No need to confirm the submission
Possibility for Economic Operators to save drafts

17. Draft list for economic operators
Generate PDFs
Edit/Delete/ Submission buttons
Status

18. 4. RAG tool for risk assessment (mid-March 2018)

19. Visits to RAPEX networks to improve the impact and efficiency of the Rapid Alert System
Reality shows that there are difficulties with regard to timeliness, quality and follow-up of notifications
Differences in practices and approaches that hinder efficiency of the system
The European Commission is visiting all Member States/EEA to
Grasp realities on the ground (resources, structure, sampling & testing, communication, etc.)
Identify areas where authorities face problems and where Commission can help
Why am I here?
Main tasks of the national contact point – but difficulties remain (internal organisation, legislation, cooperation, resources, political priorities, etc.)
Resulting in difficulties respecting timeliness, quality and follow up of notifications,
There are important differences in approaches and activities across countries that jeopardize the optimal operation of the RAPEX network and by extension, the functioning of the single market

20. Thank you for your attention
Thank you for your attention ! For more information visit our website: Or send us an