Global toymakers want safety standards, but are worried about the scope and policing of such an endeavor.
BRUSSELS, April
(Reuters) - Top toymakers backed plans on Wednesday for a mandatory
global safety standard for toys to prevent unsafe products from
reaching the consumer, but said it must not be a barrier to innovation
or entry into the market.
The European Union is mulling new legislation in the area of toy
safety, while the United States has proposed a stricter, independently
verified regulation for toys following a spate of recalls -- mostly of
Chinese goods -- in 2007.
Brussels and Washington are due to hold talks in June in a bid to
reach a trans-Atlantic agreement, which they hope could pave the way
for a global safety mark.
Leading toymakers such as Mattel Inc (MAT.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Hasbro (HAS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Hornby (HRN.L: Quote, Profile, Research) said they favor an independent global standard, but are concerned over its scope and how it should be policed.
Last week EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva also backed the
idea of a trans-Atlantic standard, which she said would force countries
such as China to follow suit.
Hornby and Lego -- Europe's biggest toymaker -- expressed some
concern that any new legislation could hinder their industry's future.
"We have concerns about the scope and any overzealous adoption of
any new regulation which might prevent competition in the market,"
Hornby chief executive Frank Martin told Reuters following a meeting of
Europe's major toymakers in Brussels.
Lego CEO, Jorgen V Knudstorp said: "We must make sure this is
sensible legislation. We have concerns that these rules, if not
properly thought through could damage new innovation and new producers."
European and U.S. lawmakers have criticized current regulations in
the wake of the recall of over 20 million toys worldwide last year due
to excessive levels of lead paint and other unsafe components.
European consumer groups have urged that the EU's CE mark -- which
is questioned only if a product draws complaints -- be abolished in
favor of a new, stricter standard awarded by an independent regulator.
Most toymakers said they favored an independent body to award the new standard.
"We are in favor of a global standard supplied by a trusted
authority. We do not favor either third party or government
authorities. Once they do the job properly," Knudstorp said.
However U.S. companies said they favor an independent third party
and are opposed to any authority set up by the EU's executive
Commission or any U.S. federal agency.
"We prefer a more transparent approach," Carter Keithley, president of the U.S. Toy Industry Association said.
Sources within the European Commission, which oversees EU consumer
safety rules, said Brussels was mulling a new standard similar to
Germany's "GS" safety mark.
Such a new stamp -- known as "CE PLUS" -- would replace the EU's CE
mark, which manufacturers need to trade across the 27-member bloc. The
German label is awarded through an independent and certified monitoring
authority.
(Editing by Andrew Hurst)
© Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
