[RAPEX] Overview of RAPEX notifications in February 2016

In accordance with the General Product Safety Directive 2001/95/EC (GPSD) and Regulation 765/2008, in February 2016 the European Commission validated 164 notifications1 on dangerous products and transmitted them to the Member States and EEA-countries, namely:  
1. Notifying country
During the month of February, 22 EU Member States sent notifications on dangerous products through the RAPEX system. The five most frequently notifying countries accounted for 51% of the notifications: 2. Product category
The notifications validated in February covered 21 categories of products. The five most frequently notified product categories accounted for 73% of all notifications:
  3. Type of risk
The notifications validated in February covered 13 different types of risk. The five most frequently notified risk categories accounted for 87% of all notifications:       

4. Country of origin
From the dangerous products notified in February, nearly half originated from China (78 notifications, 47%). 33 notifications (20%) concerned products originating from EU Member States. 32 notifications (19%) concerned products originating in other countries. 16 notifications (10%) contained no information about the country of origin of the notified product.
5. Measures adopted
In the month of February, 73 notifications (45%) were of compulsory preventive and restrictive measures ordered by national authorities (‘compulsory measures’). In 90 other notifications (55%), economic operators took preventive and restrictive measures on a ‘voluntary’ basis (‘voluntary measures’), i.e. they complied with their legal obligations without the formal intervention of a national authority. 1 notification reported that both kinds of measures were taken concerning the dangerous product notified.
It is very frequent that there is more than one measure adopted in relation to a notified product. That is, it is regularly the case, that when the authorities ordered a sales ban they have also ordered a withdrawal from the market.