Text tabled : A6-0441/2008

  Carlos Coelho (PPE-DE), in writing. – (PT) The toy safety directive represents an extremely important step towards ensuring our children’s safety. It was absolutely essential to extend the scope and clarify the legislation on such an important issue. Aspects such as increasing the responsibility of manufacturers and importers and judiciously increasing the number of prohibited substances are proof of the rigour with which this issue has been tackled.

I must congratulate the rapporteur who, while successfully laying down rules to ensure children’s safety, has taken into account the survival and stability of small and medium-sized enterprises in this sector.

However, we should think about the increased responsibility of Member States resulting from this legislation. To achieve this directive’s objective – namely our children’s safety – the Member States must meet their obligations, which are now being increased in terms of market surveillance.

Given the Portuguese situation and the successive surveillance failures in this respect by the responsible agency (under state control), I urge the Member States to properly assume their responsibilities. The progress made by this directive in terms of safety must be matched by effective and responsible surveillance action by the Member States.