BRUSSELS, 11th April, 2025 (WAM) -- The EU Council and the European Parliament have reached a provisional deal on a regulation updating the safety requirements for toys sold on the EU single market.

On Thursday evening, Parliament and Council negotiators reached a provisional agreement on new EU toy safety rules to protect children's health and development. The deal strengthens the role of economic operators in improving toy safety and clarifies requirements for safety warnings and the digital product passport (DPP). It expands the list of prohibited substances in toys.

The new rules are covering, in particular, new harmful chemical products. The regulation expands the ban on carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic for reproduction chemicals (CMRs) to include other hazardous substances like endocrine disruptors.

The agreement forbids skin sensitisers and toys treated with biocidal products (except for toys intended to be always kept outdoors). Biocidal products are substances used to control unwanted organisms that are harmful to health or the environment or that can cause damage to human activities.

The agreement also limits the use of preservatives and prohibits the use of fragrance allergens in toys intended for use by children under the age of three or in other toys intended to be placed in the mouth of children.

Krzysztof Paszyk, Polish Minister for Economic Development and Technology, said, "Children's safety must always come first. While the EU's toy safety rules are among the strictest in the world, we must remain vigilant, adapt the rules to emerging risks and ensure that safety standards are met for all toys, whether made in Europe or abroad."

The text introduces also a limited ban on the intentional use of PFAS in toys (with exemptions for toy components necessary for electronic or electric functions of the toy where the substance or mixture is fully inaccessible to children). PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are chemicals used in many products. Some PFAS have been classified as carcinogenic and/or as endocrine disruptors.

The regulation grants the Commission the authority to remove toys from the market if new risks emerge.

Rapporteur Marion Walsmann, Group of the European People's Party, Germany, said, "The new Toy Safety Regulation sends out a strong signal: for the protection of our children, fair competition and for Europe as a business location."