gpsr-sicherheitspruefung

/produktrecht:gpsr-sicherheitspruefung

Purpose

The skill examines the obligations under the General Product Safety Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/988, GPSR, applicable from 13.12.2024) for manufacturers, importers, fulfilment service providers and online marketplaces. It clarifies the scope of application vis-à-vis sectoral harmonisation, structures the risk assessment and technical documentation and addresses incident notifications via the Safety Business Gateway as well as the recall obligation.

Inputs

Product (name, function, intended users — in particular consumers within the meaning of Art. 3 No. 1 GPSR)
Role of the client (manufacturer Art. 9, importer Art. 11, fulfilment Art. 12, online marketplace Art. 22, distributor Art. 13)
Seat of the manufacturer (within / outside the EU — obligation to appoint a responsible economic operator under Art. 16 Market Surveillance Regulation 2019/1020)
relevant sectoral harmonisation rules (Machinery Regulation 2023/1230, Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC, LVD 2014/35/EU, EMC Directive 2014/30/EU, RED 2014/53/EU, Construction Products Regulation 305/2011)
Occasion: first placing on the market / existing product / specific safety problem / market surveillance enquiry

Sub-agent architecture

Researcher supplies GPSR statutes, EUR-Lex links, sectoral harmonisation rules, ProdSG transition, Klindt commentary (now GPSR commentary). Drafter creates a structured catalogue of obligations per role with a risk assessment matrix. Reviewer checks the completeness of the technical documentation, the incident notification obligation "without delay" and the demarcation from the sectoral lex specialis.

Procedure

1. Scope of application

The GPSR applies to consumer productsplaced on the market or made available in the Union insofar as no specific safety requirements in harmonised Union acts govern the same protection objective (Art. 2 II GPSR). Where sectoral harmonisation exists, the GPSR applies supplementarily, insofar as aspects (risks, obligations) are not conclusively regulated (Art. 2 I lit. b GPSR).

Examples:

Product	Prevailing act	GPSR supplement
Machine	Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 (from 20 January 2027); until then Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC in conjunction with 9th ProdSV	only aspects not regulated there
Toy	Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC in conjunction with 2nd ProdSV	supplementary
Low-voltage device	LVD 2014/35/EU in conjunction with 1st ProdSV	supplementary
Radio equipment	RED 2014/53/EU in conjunction with FuAG	supplementary
purely consumer sensor without sectoral regulation	(no prevailing act)	GPSR in full

2. Obligations of the manufacturer (Art. 9 GPSR)

General safety requirement Art. 5 GPSR: only place safe products on the market
Risk analysis Art. 9 II GPSR with assessment based on the indicators of Art. 6 GPSR (properties, interaction with other products, presentation, consumer groups, cybersecurity as a new factor)
Technical documentation Art. 9 V GPSR: description of the product, risk analysis, risk mitigation measures taken, if applicable test reports, 10 years to be retained
Identifiability Art. 9 VI: type, batch or serial number on the product
Manufacturer identification Art. 9 VII: name, registered trade name / brand, postal address, electronic contact address
Instructions for use and safety information Art. 9 VII in the language of the Member State
Obligation to react in case of suspicion of unsafety Art. 9 IX–XI: investigation, corrective measures, information of the market surveillance authority and consumers
Incident reporting Art. 20 GPSR via the Safety Business Gateway without delay after becoming aware of an accident caused by the product
Recall obligation Art. 36 GPSR in case of a safety risk

3. Obligations of the importer (Art. 11 GPSR)

Placing only safe products on the market
Independent verification of the manufacturer's obligations (risk analysis, technical documentation, labelling)
Affixing of its own identification (name, address, electronic address) — in addition to the manufacturer
Retention of the technical documentation 10 years
Participation in corrective measures and incident reports

4. Obligations of the fulfilment service provider (Art. 12 GPSR)

Fulfilment within the meaning of Art. 3 No. 11 GPSR (storage, packaging, addressing, dispatch). Obligation: ensuring that the storage and dispatch conditions do not impair conformity; obligation to cooperate with market surveillance.

5. Obligations of online marketplaces (Art. 22 GPSR)

Establishment of a central contact point for market surveillance authorities
Registration in the Safety Gate Portal
Notice-and-action mechanism for unsafe offers
Removal of dangerous offers at the request of market surveillance within 2 working days
Informing affected consumers in the event of a recall

6. Sanctions and market surveillance

Sanctions under Art. 44 GPSR to be specified in national law — in DE via the GPSR Implementation Act (as of 2024/2025 in preparation, the ProdSG will be replaced for non-harmonised consumer products) [unverifiziert – nationalen Umsetzungsstand prüfen]
Market surveillance in DE: Länder (competent authorities), BAuA (coordination), sectoral e.g. BNetzA, BVL
Powers to order under Art. 36 GPSR in conjunction with Market Surveillance Regulation 2019/1020 (information, warning, sales ban, recall, destruction)

7. ProdSG Transition

For non-harmonised consumer products, the ProdSG (scope: consumer products, non-economic activity) applied until 12.12.2024. From 13.12.2024 the GPSR applies directly. Sectoral ProdSV (1. ProdSV NSpRG, 9. ProdSV Machinery etc.) remain in force by virtue of incorporation into national law.

Transitional questions: products placed on the market before 13.12.2024 under the ProdSG regime retain their lawful placing on the market; post-market obligations (monitoring, recall) are governed by the GPSR from 13.12.2024.

Sources and Citation Style

Binding: ../../../references/zitierweise.md.

Statute (EU + national)

Commentaries

Klindt, GPSR Commentary (successor to Klindt ProdSG), 1st ed. 2024 ff. [unverifiziert – Verlag/Aufl. prüfen]
Wilrich, Produktsicherheitsrecht, 2nd ed. 2024 [unverifiziert – Aufl./Jahr prüfen]
Lenz, ProdHaftG, Commentary, 2024 (also on the GPSR interface) [unverifiziert – Aufl. prüfen]

Case law (`[unverifiziert – prüfen in juris/curia.europa.eu]`)

ECJ, judgment of 30.04.2009 – C-132/08, Lidl Magyarország (sectoral priority over the general product safety Directive)
ECJ, judgment of 05.03.2015 – C-503/13, C-504/13, ECLI:EU:C:2015:148 (Boston Scientific, concept of defect in the case of potential risks)
national market surveillance case law of the VGH/OVG on ProdSG orders (continuing to apply in the transition to the GPSR)

Output format

GPSR-PRÜFUNG
Mandat: <Rolle: Hersteller / Importeur / Fulfillment / Marktplatz>
Produkt: <Bezeichnung, Funktion, Zielnutzer>

I. Anwendungsbereich
   1. Verbraucherprodukt iSv Art. 3 Nr. 1 GPSR?
   2. Sektorale Harmonisierung einschlägig?
      → <Akt> – Vorrang / ergänzende GPSR-Anwendung

II. Pflichten je Rolle
    A. Hersteller (Art. 9 GPSR)
       – Risikobewertung Art. 5, 6
       – Technische Dokumentation Art. 9 V (10 J)
       – Identifizierung / Kennzeichnung Art. 9 VI, VII
       – Gebrauchs- und Sicherheitshinweise
       – Reaktionspflicht Art. 9 IX–XI
       – Vorfallsmeldung Art. 20 (Safety Business Gateway)
       – Rückrufpflicht Art. 36
    B. Importeur (Art. 11) — eigene Kennzeichnung, 10-J-Aufbewahrung
    C. Fulfillment (Art. 12)
    D. Online-Marktplatz (Art. 22)
       – zentrale Kontaktstelle
       – Safety Gate Portal Registrierung
       – Notice-and-Action, 2-Werktage-Frist

III. ProdSG-Übergang (Altprodukte vor 13.12.2024)

IV. Sanktionen und Marktaufsicht

V. Risiken / offene Punkte
    🟢 / 🟡 / 🔴 <Einstufung mit Begründung>

VI. Quellenverzeichnis

Risks / typical mistakes

Sectoral harmonisation overlooked. For machinery, toys, NSpRG, EMC, RED, construction products, the specific act applies first; the GPSR only supplementarily.
GPSR application date. The Regulation applies from 13.12.2024 directly; national implementing act for sanctions separately — check the current status.
Importer obligations underestimated. The EU importer is the first point of contact for market surveillance where the manufacturer is established outside the EU; even without quasi-manufacturer status it is liable under Art. 11 GPSR and § 4 II ProdHaftG.
Product liability consequential level assessed according to the old state of the law. For products that are placed on the market from 09.12.2026 the ProdHaftG 1989 is replaced by the implementing law for Directive (EU) 2024/2853: software, SaaS and AI are products, the EUR 85 million cap is removed, and the circle of liable persons is broadened. The reference to § 4 II ProdHaftG holds only for legacy products. Details and the cut-off date check in the Skill prodhaftg-herstellerhaftung. [unverifiziert - prüfen]
"Safety Gate" confused with "Safety Business Gateway". Safety Gate = authorities/consumer portal (formerly RAPEX); Safety Business Gateway = reporting channel for economic operators.
Incident reporting pursuant to Art. 20 delayed. "Without undue delay" within the meaning of the assessment under § 121 BGB; hesitation can trigger a fine and liability under § 823 BGB.
Cybersecurity overlooked as a safety factor. Art. 6 lit. h GPSR also covers IT risks in networked products.
Technical documentation incomplete. Obligation to retain for 10 years; to be submitted at short notice upon a market surveillance request.