Liikanen to launch stricter firework laws as injury toll rockets

By Peter Chapman

Date: 13/11/03

ERKKI Liikanen, the commissioner for enterprise and information society, plans to unveil strict rules governing the sale of fireworks sold in the EU - including imports from countries such as China. The move follows concern over growing numbers of injuries caused by misuse or faulty fireworks.

The Finnish commissioner said the aim was to provide better protection for consumers by ensuring that only approved fireworks are sold in the Union.

"The proposed legislation would include essential safety requirements," said Liikanen, adding that the Brussels-based European Committee for Standardization (CEN) would be asked to develop the standards.

Liikanen said the rules are unlikely to restrict the sale of fireworks exclusively for use in licensed displays, where safety levels can be more easily controlled by local authorities. However, he said they would ensure that fireworks unsuitable for use in, for example, a small garden, were restricted to professionals.

"Such measures would be a proportionate response to providing consumers with a high level of protection," he said. The new rules will not stop member states from applying their own regulations that restrict the times of the year when firework displays are allowed.

Experts point out that sparklers, often given to children, can reach a temperature of up to 2,000°C - 20 times the boiling point of water. A rocket, statistically the most dangerous firework, can travel at up to 240km per hour. Although deaths are uncommon, burns, particularly to eyes, are an ever-present threat - even at organized displays.

Socialist MEP Arlene McCarthy said poor-quality fireworks were flooding into the EU market via countries where current quality-control levels are weakest. Liikanen said the harmonized rules would put a stop to this problem.