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Behörde für Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz Behörde für Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz

The Legal Foundations of Market Surveillance

EU-Law

EU legislation on consumer protection seeks to establish consistently high safety levels for everyone across the EU. In the area of product safety for non-food products this has primarily been achieved through directives for particular product groups. These are harmonised among member states and implemented in all EU countries. The legal foundations are complemented by EN-Standards, which define concrete technical requirements for particular products or product groups. The most important ones can be accessed here:

Legal Portal of the EU Directorate-General "Enterprise and Industry"

National Law

Implementation at the national level is structured differently within the EU. In Germany, the directives’ general regulations on product safety and the general product safety directive (the central legal regulation) have been integrated in a single law forming the basis of all guidelines. The law on technical working appliances and installations (Appliances and Product Safety Law) serves as the common legal framework for the distribution of products in the area of technical safety of appliances, products and installations. The technical details of harmonised directives, e.g. low voltage directive, have been appended to the product safety law as regulations.

Information/ Laws availlable in German

Gesetz über technische Arbeitsmittel und Verbraucherprodukte (Geräte- und Produktsicherheitsgesetz-GPSG)

  • Erste Verordnung zum GPSG (Verordnung über das Inverkehrbringen elektrischer Betriebsmittel zur Verwendung innerhalb bestimmter Spannungsgrenzen)

32. Verordnung zur Durchführung des Bundes-Immissionsschutzgesetzes (Link zur Seite des Bundesministerium der Justiz)

Instructions for Implementations - Guidelines

To ensure uniform implementation in this legal area, responsible authorities in the German Bundesländer have jointly established guidelines for market surveillance activities on the basis of the European guidelines (Blue Guide).

The guidelines regarding the Appliances and Product Safety Law (GPSG) are addressed to public authorities as well as the distributors of products in Germany. They are designed as decision aides to ensure that the requirements of the GPSG can be met.