Rapid Advice Forum

Market Surveillance Authorities find themselves often in a situation in which they have to decide if a certain product conforms to the general safety requirement of a certain directive (e.g. GPSD, LVD, Toys, PPE …) and/or if a product is covered by these directives. If no standards, national legislation, recommendations or safety codes exist for this product, or if these documents do not take into consideration all safety aspects of this product, this decision will need to take into consideration the state and art of technology and/or the reasonable consumer expectations concerning safety. In these cases it will be necessary to make a judgement call based on experience and the results of a risk analysis.

To assure a correct and non-biased result, it would be very useful if the individual market surveillance officers could get a rapid and informal first assessment and feed-back from fellow officers (from other member-states). This assessment and feedback given by individual market surveillance officers will be based on their personal experience and expertise. Their opinion will NOT necessarily reflect the opinion of their member-state and will in any case never be regarded as a binding opinion of a member-state. The member state receiving the assessment is in no way obliged to take this assessment and feedback in consideration.

A Rapid Advice Forum has now been established in EMARS under the leadership of Jan Deconinck of Belgium.  A procedure for introducing requests for advice has been agreed and a standard request form made available. Completed forms can be sent to info@emars.eu.