GPSR - Regulation (EU) 2023/988

What GPSR is and why it matters

The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) — formally Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety — is the EU’s baseline safety law for consumer products, and if you put goods on the European market it almost certainly applies to you. GPSR sets the overarching requirement that any product placed on the EU market must be safe, and it acts as a safety net for products that are not covered by more specific sector legislation. For a brand owner, that means GPSR is the rule that catches everything: the toy that also has a sector directive, the homeware item that has none, and the gadget you import and sell online all fall under its scope.

GPSR matters because it shifts the bar from the older directive-based regime to a directly applicable regulation with sharper obligations around traceability, online sales, the responsible person in the EU, and accident reporting. The practical effect is that more actors in the supply chain carry documented duties, and enforcement authorities have clearer powers to act.

📄 Official text: Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety — on EUR-Lex →

Who GPSR applies to

GPSR applies across the supply chain rather than to a single actor. The duties scale with your role, but every link is covered:

Manufacturers — anyone who makes a consumer product, or who has it made and markets it under their own name or trademark. They carry the heaviest obligations, including risk assessment and technical documentation.
Importers — businesses bringing products from outside the EU into the Union market. They must verify the manufacturer has met its obligations and take on responsibility when no EU-based actor otherwise exists.
Distributors — wholesalers and retailers further down the chain who must act with due care, check that required markings and documents are present, and not supply products they know or should presume to be unsafe.
Online marketplaces — platforms that allow third-party sellers to reach EU consumers now have explicit, dedicated obligations under GPSR, reflecting how much consumer trade has moved online.

The Regulation applies to new, used, repaired and reconditioned consumer products, with limited carve-outs for categories such as medicinal products, food, feed, and certain other sectors governed by their own regimes.

Key dates and timeline

2023 — Regulation (EU) 2023/988 was adopted and entered into force, starting a transition period for businesses to adapt.
13 December 2024 — GPSR applies from this date. From this point the Regulation’s obligations are enforceable.
On that same date, GPSR repealed the General Product Safety Directive 2001/95/EC (GPSD), replacing the previous framework. Because GPSR is a regulation, it is directly applicable in all Member States without needing national transposition, which reduces the variation that existed under the old directive.

Core requirements

Risk assessment and technical documentation

At the heart of GPSR is the general safety obligation: products must be safe in normal and reasonably foreseeable conditions of use. To back that up, manufacturers must carry out an internal risk analysis and prepare technical documentation that describes the product, the hazards it could present, and the measures taken to address them. This documentation must be kept available for market surveillance authorities for a defined retention period and produced on request. Where harmonised standards or relevant criteria exist, conformity is assessed against them; where they do not, GPSR sets out the factors used to judge whether a product is safe.

The responsible person in the EU

A product covered by GPSR may only be placed on the market if there is an economic operator established in the EU who is responsible for it — typically the manufacturer, importer, an authorised representative, or a fulfilment service provider. This responsible person handles defined tasks: keeping the declaration and documentation available, cooperating with authorities, and acting to address risks. For brands outside the EU selling into the Union, identifying and naming this responsible person is a precondition for lawful sale, and their contact details must be available to authorities and, where relevant, to consumers.

Traceability and labelling

GPSR requires products to be traceable. Manufacturers must ensure their products bear a type, batch or serial number or other element allowing identification, and must indicate their name, registered trade name or trademark and a contact address. Importers must add their own details. Where the nature of the product does not allow markings on the item itself, the information goes on the packaging or accompanying documents. Products must also be accompanied by clear safety information, instructions and warnings in a language easily understood by consumers in the Member State where the product is made available.

Online-marketplace obligations

GPSR gives online marketplaces specific duties. They must register with the EU’s Safety Gate portal, designate a single point of contact for authorities and for consumers, and act on orders from market surveillance authorities to remove or disable access to listings for dangerous products. They are expected to have internal processes to handle notifications about unsafe products and to make reasonable efforts to ensure sellers provide the traceability and safety information GPSR requires.

Accident reporting via the Safety Business Gateway

When a product covered by GPSR has caused an accident, the manufacturer (and in their absence other relevant operators) must notify the competent authorities through the Safety Business Gateway, the EU’s reporting tool. Operators must also notify authorities and inform affected consumers when they have reason to believe a product they have placed on the market is dangerous, and take corrective measures such as withdrawals or recalls. The Regulation strengthens recall procedures, including clearer recall notices and the remedies offered to consumers.

Obligations by role

Manufacturers — run risk assessments, hold technical documentation, ensure traceability and warnings, report accidents and carry out corrective action.
Importers — verify the manufacturer’s compliance, add their own identification, refuse non-compliant products and cooperate with authorities.
Distributors — check markings and documents are present, store and transport products with due care, and stop supply of products they believe to be unsafe.
Online marketplaces — register on Safety Gate, provide a point of contact, act on takedown orders and support traceability.

Enforcement

Each Member State designates market surveillance authorities to enforce GPSR. In Denmark, the Danish Safety Technology Authority (Sikkerhedsstyrelsen) is the competent authority for general product safety. Authorities can require corrective action, order withdrawals and recalls, and direct online marketplaces to remove listings.

Dangerous products are shared EU-wide through the Safety Gate rapid alert system, so a problem identified in one country can trigger action across the Union. Consequences for non-compliance are set at national level and can include orders to stop sales, mandatory recalls, fines and reputational damage from public alerts. The qualitative reality for a brand is that a single unsafe-product alert can cascade across markets quickly.

Getting compliant

Confirm whether your products fall under GPSR or under more specific sector legislation (or both).
Carry out and document a risk assessment for each product.
Compile and retain technical documentation.
Name a responsible person established in the EU and publish their contact details.
Apply traceability markings (type/batch/serial, manufacturer and importer details).
Provide instructions, warnings and safety information in the right languages.
Set up an internal process to monitor incidents and to report accidents via the Safety Business Gateway.
If you sell on or operate a marketplace, register on the Safety Gate portal and assign a point of contact.

How Conphora helps

Conphora monitors GPSR and maps your products against its requirements, flagging gaps in risk assessment, traceability, the responsible person and labelling before they become enforcement problems. The platform helps you generate and keep the right documentation, and alerts you when obligations change so your compliance stays current.

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Sources and further reading

This guide is for general information and is not legal advice.

Last updated: 12 June 2026