A review of national arrangements for consumer influence in product safety standardization in the EEA

Abstract

Cooperation between the EC and the EFTA countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) should, among other things, enable consumers to participate in and influence standardization. The EC New Approach presupposes the elaboration of standards to interpret or fill out the special safety provisions of various directives. The notion of safe products according to the Product Safety Directive can be supported by drafting relevant safety standards. Swedish experiences in some product fields show that results can be achieved through expert consumer participation. Consumer influence on standardization is a matter of great importance for product safety in the future.