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Commission Vice President Guenter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industrial policy, admitted that the new measures would entail extra costs and that 100-per-cent safety in toys, or any other product, could not be guaranteed.

"Economic operators are now called to live up to their responsibilities to ensure that children can enjoy playing with toys without risks," said Verheugen, as he proposed new EU laws to be considered by the 27 member states.

The rules if adopted would affect EU manufacturers and those elsewhere, notably in China. China is the world's top toy exporter, selling 22 billion toys overseas in 2006.

US giant Mattel recalled more than 21 million Chinese-made toys last summer, but later apologised saying 85 per cent of the recall was due to its own design flaws.

The EU commissioner explained that there was a need for a revamp of the existing laws not least because "we've seen dramatic changes in the toy market and we've made new scientific breakthroughs in the past 20 years, particularly concerning the use of chemicals in toys".

Among the detailed proposals he unveiled was the banning of all chemical substances that could provoke cancer as well as those which could cause genetic mutations or be "toxic for reproduction" in toys aimed at the under-14s.

The EU's executive arm also wants to ban fragrances that could provoke allergies.

Toys that are "firmly attached" to a food product and which require the food to be eaten before the toy can be accessed, would also be banned.

For the millions of Kinder surprise-egg lovers, Verheugen had the good news that these would not be prohibited as "you can open the chocolate and take out the toy".

The European Commission hopes that the new rules, modifying the existing ones agreed in 1988, can be approved by the EU member states and parliament by the end of the year.

European consumer groups BEUC and ANEC backed the EU's aim to improve toy safety but said the outlined regulations revealed "several important deficiencies".

"We support the commission's objective to address the problem of dangerous toys but we need much stricter rules, particularly concerning chemical substances in toys," BEUC director-general Monique Goyens said in a joint statement.

The groups said the bans on carcinogens and other toxic substances only referred to the accessible parts of toys, and that other problematic substances, including hormone disruptors, were exempt.

Photo  EPA

Vocabulary

carcinogenic, adj: causing cancer

to recall, v: to ask that something is returned to the manufacturer because there is something wrong with it

flaw, n: defect; something that makes a thing not look or work as intended

to revamp, v: to redo; to revise

to provoke, v: to make something happen

to prohibit, v: to not allow; to forbid

to modify, v: to change; to adjust

to back, v: to support

deficiency, n: something that is lacking

accessible, adj: can be reached

Questions

1. How many countries are part of the EU?

a. 14

b. 21

c. 27

d. 85

2. What is the purpose of the new regulations?

a. to make toys safer for children to play with

b. to restrict foreign imports of expensive items

c. to show how powerful EU commissioners are

d. to protect the local industry from foreign competitors

3. When were the current rules approved?

a. 1885

b. 1914

c. 1988

d. 2006

4. Which country exports the most toys?

a. Italy

b. US

c. China

d. Switzerland

5. What do consumer groups criticise the new regulations for?

a. Strict regulations leave children with no toys to play with.

b. Toys are going to be so expensive only the rich can afford them.

c. They insist other problematic substances should also be banned.

d. Poor countries don't have the know-how to produce to these standards.

Synonyms

Which of the following words or phrases replace the ones from the passage best?

1. toxic

a. bright

b. strong

c. colourful

d. poisonous

2. entail

a. avoid

b. reduce

c. involve

d. prevent

3. adopt

a. reject

b. vote on

c. take on

d. discuss

4. fragrance

a. taste

b. glare

c. scent

d. smoke

5. exempt

a. target

b. exclude

c. condemn

d. disadvantage

KEY

Questions                  1.  c, 2.  a, 3.  c, 4.  c, 5.  c

Synonyms                  1.  d, 2.  c, 3.  c, 4.  c, 5.  b

By Ajarn Horst Baelz