Politics
Parliament backs tighter EU rules for toy safety | News
On Wednesday, Parliament approved its position on revamped EU rules on toy safety with 603 votes in favour, 5 against and 15 abstentions. The text responds to a number of new challenges, mainly stemming from digital toys and online shopping, and converts the existing directive into a directly applicable regulation.
Ban on harmful chemicals
Focusing on children’s health and development, the proposal strengthens the requirements and bans on certain chemical substances in toys. The existing prohibition on carcinogenic and mutagenic substances or substances toxic for reproduction (CRM) is extended to chemicals that are particularly harmful to children, such as endocrine disruptors or chemicals affecting the respiratory system. The rules also target chemicals that are toxic to specific organs or are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic. Toys should not contain any per- and polyfluorinated alkil substances (PFASs) either.
Strengthening checks
All toys sold in the EU will have to have a digital product passport (replacing the EU declaration of conformity), detailing compliance with the relevant safety rules. This will enhance the traceability of toys and make market surveillance and customs checks simpler and more efficient. Consumers will also have easy access to safety information and warnings, for example via a QR code. MEPs in their position urge the Commission to support and guide SME toy manufacturers in performing safety assessments and fulfilling the product passport requirements.
Safety, security and privacy by design
Toys with digital elements need to comply with safety, security and privacy by design standards. MEPs say toys using AI falling under the scope of the new Artificial Intelligence Act will have to comply with cybersecurity, personal data protection, and privacy requirements. Manufacturers of digitally connected toys need to follow the EU’s Cybersecurity rules and consider, where appropriate, the risks to mental health and the cognitive development of children using such toys.
Toys must also comply with the recently updated General Product Safety rules, for example, when it comes to online sales, accident reporting, consumer right to information and remedy.
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Rapporteur Marion Walsmann (EPP, Germany) said: “Children deserve the safest toys possible. With the revised safety rules, we are giving them just that. We are protecting them against invisible dangers such as harmful chemicals and ensuring that warnings such as age restrictions are clearly visible online. The newly introduced digital product passport will ensure that consumers have access to information they need. At the same time, trade secrets will be protected – a strong signal for fair competition and that Europe is the place to do business”.
Next steps
The text constitutes Parliament’s position at first reading. The file will be followed up by the new Parliament after the European elections on 6-9 June.
Background
Before placing a toy on the market, manufacturers have to carry out safety assessments that cover all chemical, physical, mechanical, electrical flammability, hygiene and radioactivity hazards and potential exposure. Despite the EU market being among the safest in the world, dangerous toys still find their way into consumers’ hands. According to the EU Safety Gate (the EU rapid alert system for dangerous consumer products), toys were the most notified product category, accounting for 23% of all notifications in 2022 and 20% in 2021.
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Commission has approved a new round of 135 projects under the Technical Support Instrument (‘TSI’), to support Member States to prepare, design and implement a total of 390 reforms in 2025.
The selected projects will help the Member States address reforms in key priority areas to strengthen the Union’s resilience and competitiveness and to improve citizens’ lives across the EU. Two-third of the projects are linked 15 flagship projects aimed at addressing common reform needs in the EU, such as impoving the quality of public administration, provide a better business environment for SMEs, or to make energy systems fit for the green and digital transition.
TSI helps Member States to deliver on key political priorities
In line with the key priority to strengthen the Union’s competitiveness, the TSI will support 109 reforms to help Member States improve their business environment, close the innovation gap, build a net-zero economy, and promote the Union’s economic security. For example, the TSI will support 38 reforms in 22 Member States to reduce unnecessary administrative burden for SMEs, to promote start-ups and scale ups and to enable them to be more productive, competitive and resilient.
More than 130 reforms to support the digital transition have been selected in 2025, with a strong focus on Artificial Intelligence (‘AI’) and innovative technologies. These will support Member States to reap the productivity gains from technology towards tomorrow’s economy. For example, with the project “FutureProof Education”, the TSI will support schools in Germany, Sweden, and Ireland to develop guidance for the responsible and meaningful use of AI in schools, as well as to set up AI literacy programmes.
Supporting collaboration among Member States towards a modern and efficient public administration
In 2025, 40 multi-country projects will address common challenges of Member States through the TSI. Multi-country projects promote the development of common approaches and include peer learning and the exchange of best practices. For example, 14 Member States will work together to effectively implement EU tax legislation to modernise and simplify tax and customs procedures and reduce the administrative burden for SMEs.
Enhancing the capacity of Member States’ public administrations and their cross-country collaboration is vital for the modernisation of our Union. This year, 119 reforms supported by the TSI will assist Member States in strengthening their public administrations to effectively tackle current and future challenges. In line with the ComPAct communication adopted in October 2023, TSI will support efforts of the Member States to converge on closing skills gaps, enabling digital transformation, and preparing administrations to lead the green transition.
Background
The TSI helps Member States deliver on their reform agenda in a wide range of policy areas. It provides tailor-made expertise to Member States’ authorities who apply for support on an annual basis. It does not come in the form of financial support but consists of the provision of high-quality and tailored expertise and knowledge and can take the form of strategic or technical advice, studies assessing reform needs, training, or in-country missions by experts.
The TSI has been providing technical support to all 27 Member States to implement more than 2000 cutting-edge reforms in a wide range of areas such as revenue administration and public financial management, public administration and governance, growth and business environment, labour market, education and social services, migration, and financial market and access to finance. So far, the TSI has supported close to 500 reforms linked to the Recovery and Resilience Plans.
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The Commission has today paid an advance of €100 million from the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to Spain to help finance its recovery efforts following the October 2024 DANA storm in Valencia. This is the maximum amount allowed under the EUSF as advance payment.
Spain’s official EUSF application for DANA-related damages, submitted in January 2025, is currently being assessed by the Commission. Once this assessment is concluded, the Commission will make a proposal for the total amount to be granted from the EUSF to Spain.
Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms, Raffaele Fitto, stated: “The DANA storm has caused profound devastation in Valencia with hundreds of lives lost and many homes and infrastructure destroyed. Our commitment to supporting the people and the region through this challenging recovery remains unwavering.”
The EU Solidarity Fund is a post-disaster relief instrument providing financial support to EU Member States and candidate countries for their recovery efforts in the aftermath of severe natural disasters.
The funding can be used to restore essential infrastructure such as energy, water, health, education, or telecommunications systems, as well as for measures to protect cultural heritage or for clean-up operations. Granting an advance payment does not prejudge the final amount of the EUSF assistance to be granted, which will depend on the Commission’s assessment of Spain’s application and on budgetary availability.
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Politics
European Urban Initiative: 20 innovative projects selected to transform cities across Europe
The European Commission and the Hauts-de-France Region, as the Entrusted Entity for the European Urban Initiative (EUI), have announced the results of the third call for innovative actions. With €94 million in funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), 20 selected projects from 13 EU Member States will test innovative solutions in real urban environments, supporting cities in their transition to a greener and more digital future. Projects include giving a second life to used EV batteries in Tilburg, the Netherlands, and repurposing vacant public buildings for the needs of the community in Košice, Slovakia. Each project will receive up to €5 million from ERDF, co-financing 80% of the eligible costs.
Beyond their implementation in selected cities, these projects will serve as blueprints for other urban areas across Europe. A part of this funding will also support knowledge transfer and the replication of successful solutions tested by these projects in other EU cities, further amplifying their societal and economic impact.
The full list of winners can be consulted on EUI website.
Background
In the 2021-2027 programming period, Cohesion policy has a strong urban dimension, and its support to sustainable urban development has been reinforced to help cities take active role in designing and implementing policy responses to their local challenges and needs.
As a result, cohesion funds will invest over €100 billion in cities, with more than €24 billion directly managed by cities for designing and implementing investments under Cohesion policy programmes.
The EUI is a key instrument of the European Union’s Cohesion policy, specifically targeting city authorities to strengthen urban innovation and capacity- and knowledge-building for sustainable urban development. The EUI allows cities to test innovative and creative solutions to address their specific urban challenges, ensuring that the solutions developed and tested are transferable and replicable across other EU cities.
The 20 projects selected today will join to the community of 36 ongoing projects selected within the previous two calls: the first call (in 2022), which focused on the New European Bauhaus, and the second call (in 2023), which was dedicated to themes on greening cities, sustainable tourism, and harnessing talent in shrinking cities.
With a budget of EUR 395 million, the EUI builds on the legacy of the Urban Innovative Actions, the Commission’s initiative implemented during the 2014-2020 programming period, but it has a stronger focus on innovation led by cities themselves and on sustainability of innovation as well as replicability in other cities.
Beyond innovation, the EUI supports the capacities of all urban areas across the EU. It provides evidence for policymaking and shares knowledge on sustainable urban development, including via the Urban Agenda for the EU and Portico, the European urban knowledge platform.
The experience of the EUI implementation will also contribute to the preparation of a comprehensive EU Agenda for Cities in the course of 2025 that is aimed at taking stock of EU initiatives and instruments the European Commission has put in place over the years with a view to streamlining and simplifying the current support and making it accessible to all potential city beneficiaries. The Agenda also aims to examine how to enhance processes through which the concerns of cities could be stronger reflected in future EU policy making. The call for evidence concerning the content of the Agenda targeted at the public at large will soon be opened at the Have your say portal of the European Commission.
More information
Selected projects
European Urban Initiative
Cohesion Data Platform
Kohesio Projects Platform
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