Toys safety-checks boost

Meglena Kuneva, the European commissioner for consumer protection, is to announce intensified checks on toys by national customs authorities in the run-up to Christmas.

The toymaker Mattel has issued three recalls this year of tainted products manufactured in China. An EU ban on imports of novelty lighters that fail to meet child safety standards entered into force in March, but has not been completely effective.

Kuneva will next month (22 November) announce the results of an intensive two-month review of safety rules to assess the need for tighter controls and fast-track EU policing procedures. The review was launched in the wake of the third Mattel toy recall in September.

A Commission official said Kuneva wanted intensified checks on toys and lighters and member states to become more systematic. She would stop short of calling for outright bans on products.

Meglena Kuneva, the European commissioner for consumer protection, is to announce intensified checks on toys by national customs authorities in the run-up to Christmas.