The Commission proposal centres on online sales, enforcement and recalls, and new technologies: fire is not mentioned. The General Product Safety Directive (GPSD 2001/95) will become a “Regulation”, making it more directly applicable. The Commission proposal (30th June 2021) particularly targets risks related to “new technologies”, such as digital hacking of products, except a few specific listed sectoral exceptions. The regulation covers all manufactured, consumer products, except where other EU legislation already provides safety rules, including covering other aspects of products where existing safety legislation only covers certain points. Safety is defined as “presenting only minimum risks compatible with the product’s use, considered acceptable and consistent with a high level of protection of health and safety of consumers”. As in the present GPSD text, fire is not mentioned. However, a product can, in theory, be banned from the market if it poses a risk of fire not compatible with this definition of safety. The Commission’s proposed text now goes to discussion in the European Parliament and Council in coming months.
European Commission proposal for a Regulation on General Product Safety, COM/2021/346 final, 30th June 2021 and “Factsheet”.
Leglislative train https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/theme-a-new-push-for-european-democracy/file-revision-of-the-general-product-safety-directive