[RAPEX] Overview of RAPEX notifications in January 2016

In accordance with the General Product Safety Directive 2001/95/EC (GPSD) and Regulation 765/2008, in January 2016 the European Commission validated 138 notifications1 on dangerous products and transmitted them to the Member States and EEA-countries, namely:
1. Notifying country
During the month of January, 21 EU Member States, Iceland and Norway sent notifications on dangerous products through the RAPEX system. The five most frequently notifying countries (France, Germany, Hungary, UK and Spain) accounted for 62% of all notifications: 2.Product category
The notifications validated in January covered 17 categories of products. The five most frequently notified product categories (motor vehicles, toys, clothing, textile & fashion items, electrical appliance and electronic equipment, cosmetics) accounted for 73% of all notifications:
3.Type of risk
The notifications validated in January covered 13 different types of risk. The five most frequently notified risk categories (injuries, chemical, choking, electric shock and entrapment) accounted for 88% of all notifications:

4.Country of origin
From the dangerous products notified in January, more than the half originated from China (63 notifications, 46%). 31 notifications (22%) concerned products originating from EU Member States. 33 notifications (24%) concerned products originating in other countries. 11 notifications (8%) contained no information about the country of origin of the notified product. 5. Measures adopted
In the month of January, 68 notifications (49%) were of compulsory preventive and restrictive measures ordered by national authorities (‘compulsory measures’). In 68 other notifications (49%), economic operators took preventive and restrictive measures on a ‘voluntary’ basis (‘voluntary measures’), i.e. they complied with their legal obligations without the formal intervention of a national authority. 2 notifications reported that both kinds of measures were taken concerning the same dangerous product.
It is very frequent that there is more than one measure adopted in relation to a notified product. That is, it is regularly the case, that when the authorities ordered a sales ban they have also ordered a withdrawal from the market.