ABSTRACT
In Germany regulation of consumer goods has always been something of an afterthought and has been achieved by extending the scope of application of laws aimed primarily at regulating neighbouring sectors, especially laws regulating food and industrial work materials. One of the major criticisms of the German implementation of the General Product Safety Directive is that it treats the general rules it introduces as being very much subsidiary to the existing rules and structures. The Geratesicherheitsgesetz (GSG) has been the most important German law regulating consumer goods. The GSG distinguishes between products covered by an EC harmonising directive and those products for which there are no harmonised EC rules. The EC Rapid Exchange of Information System requires a national contact point to notify the Commission of dangerous products and to receive notifications from the Commission. Germany has placed great faith in the ability of its standards process to assure consumer safety.
