The objective of this revision: so that children can have fun with less risk.
The European Parliament voted on Wednesday to ban harmful chemicals in toys, particularly endocrine disruptors.
MEPs overwhelmingly approved this text which they examined at first reading (603 votes for and 5 against).
“We are sending a clear signal for the protection of children.
It is a regulation adapted to our times,” declared Marion Walsmann, German MEP (EPP, right), rapporteur of the text, after the vote.
Regulated by a European directive dating from 2009, toys sold in the European Union - whether produced there or not - are subject to strict safety requirements to be declared compliant and benefit from the "CE" marking.
They must not be dangerous or flammable and must not contain carcinogenic substances.
Introduction of a digital passport
The legislative revision presented by Brussels proposes to go further and ban the most harmful chemical substances.
The president of the Environment Committee, Pascal Canfin (Renew, centrists and liberals), hailed a “major victory for children's health”, welcoming the ban on endocrine disruptors “which could still be present in teething rings for toddlers and plastic toys” as well as PFAS, “these eternal pollutants harmful to the environment and our health”.
To check the presence of these chemical substances, MEPs voted to establish a digital passport which must “contain all information on the conformity of toys”.
Also read: Premature babies: the role of endocrine disruptors clearly established
Despite the rules in force, many non-compliant toys end up in the European Union, in particular because they were purchased online.
In February, Toy Industries of Europe (TIE), the European lobby of the toy industries, explained that it had tested toys purchased on the Chinese e-commerce platform Temu and found that 18 out of 19 toys presented “a real risk” for the children.