Sales of traditional toys in the industry’s five largest European markets (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK) were flat in 2013, according to information from the NPD Group. While sales grew in France (+0.7%), Germany (+1.5%) and Spain (+0.3%), they fell in both Italy (-3.3%) and the UK (-1%). Other European countries such as […]
Toy Industries of Europe (TIE) fully agrees with the European Child Safety Alliance’s advice to help prevent injuries when playing with toys. Parents should bear in mind the following tips to avoid needless accidents: choose toys that are suitable for the child’s age and skill level carefully read and follow all warnings and instructions not […]
With the recent vote in the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, steps were taken to bring the general safety of products more in line with the already stringent safety rules for toys. For instance, other consumer products will now be subject to the same traceability requirements that have already been in place […]
Counterfeit toys with a domestic retail value (had they been genuine) of €19,520,878 were seized by customs at the EU’s external borders in 2012. Toys (excluding games/electronic games) accounted for 4.10% of all articles (1,637,941) detained in 2012 due to suspected intellectual property rights (IPR) infringement. These figures were published today in the European Commission’s […]
The second part of the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC, which covers chemical requirements, enters into force today, 20 July 2013. The first part of the Directive, which covered mechanical and physical properties of toys, came into force on 20 July 2011. With this final chapter, EU toy safety legislation, which already contained some of the […]
MEP Anna Maria Corazza Bildt calls for joint action to draw attention to the importance of play and ensure Europe’s children can enjoy the freedom to play. On the occasion of World Play Day on 28 May, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Anna Maria Corazza Bildt hosted an event in the European Parliament entitled […]
The European Union’s rapid alert system for dangerous consumer products (RAPEX) stopped many substandard products from reaching European consumers last year, according to a report released by the European Commission today.As reputable toy manufacturers, members of Toy Industries of Europe (TIE) welcome the high level of attention authorities pay to toys. For us, safety is […]
TIE is hosting a webinar (online seminar) on Thursday, 23 May, from 16.00 to 17.00 (CEST), which will focus on the chemical safety assessment under the Toy Safety Directive. Christian Wetterberg, Director External Relations and Corporate Affairs at Lego, will present this webinar. He will explain the new requirements and will give guidance on how […]
Data published by EuroSafe this week in its report on ‘Injuries in the EU’ has once again shown that an adequate injury data system is lacking in Europe. The European data currently available is neither accurate nor complete and therefore does not provide any meaningful conclusions. For example, there is no information about what causes […]
Sales of traditional toys in the industry’s five largest European markets (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK) dropped 2% in 2012, according to the latest data published by the NPD Group. This was the first time the combined sales dropped in eight years. NPD links this decline to the lower contribution made by new […]
Toy Industries of Europe (TIE) has published a brochure, ‘The European Toy Industry: Facts and Figures’, which provides an overview of the substantial contribution made by toys to the European economy. This brochure is available for download here.