EU Digital Services Act

This week saw Ourania Georgoutsakou LightingEurope’s Secretary General moderate a panel discussion on the proposed EU Digital Services Act #DSA. Members of the European Commission, Members of European Parliament, the Consumers association and the toy industry representatives were in attendance.

“The proposed Digital Services Act published by the European Commission on 15 December 2020 is a unique opportunity to upgrade our European rules and make them fit for today’s market reality. LightingEurope hosts an online panel discussion, one of the first opportunities for a public exchange of views on the proposed text and whether it closes the gaps in today’s legislation.” LightingEurope

The panel discussion aimed to explore:

• How the proposals in the DSA prevent illegal products from being sold into Europe and help authorities swiftly enforce EU product rules against non-compliant products and suppliers.
• Does the proposed Digital Services Act close the legal gaps for product compliance online? To which extent would these measures prevent the listing and re-listing of illegal goods online? Does it ensure there is always an economic actor within the EU jurisdiction who takes on all the product compliance obligations?

Key takeaways: What’s illegal offline is illegal online! The increasing number of non-compliant products available on the EU market and online must be addressed. The current regime does not prevent illegal products from being sold on the EU market and non-compliant suppliers from not respecting EU rules. This puts end-users at risk and also distorts the level-playing field. The proposed Digital Services Act is a step in the right direction but more needs to be done. Requirement for clear and mandatory proactive actions for online marketplaces to prevent the listing and re-listing of illegal products.
The DSA is a unique opportunity to update the EU rules for eCommerce and clarify product compliance obligations online.

Attendees:

Mr. Alex Agius Saliba Member of the European Parliament

Mr. Werner Stengg Member of Cabinet Executive Vice President

Margrethe Vestager at the European Commission

Ms. Catherine Van Reeth Director General of Toys Industries of Europe

Ms. Maryant Fernandez Pérez Senior Digital Policy Officer, BEUC – The European Consumer Organisation

Mr. Kees Van Meerten Director, Signify

Moderated by: Ourania Georgoutsakou, Secretary General, LightingEurope

LightingEurope is the voice of the lighting industry, based in Brussels and representing 30 companies and national associations. Together these members account for over 1,000 European companies, a majority of which are small or medium-sized. They represent a total European workforce of over 100,000 people and an annual turnover exceeding 20 billion euro. LightingEurope is committed to promoting efficient lighting that benefits human comfort, safety and well-being, and the environment. LightingEurope advocates a positive business and regulatory environment to foster fair competition and growth for the European lighting industry. More information is available at www.lightingeurope.org