What is Regulation EU 2023/988 in plain English?

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Jason van de Zande

Regulation (EU) 2023/988 is the EU’s updated product safety law for most consumer products. In plain English, it says: only safe products can be sold to EU consumers, and businesses must be able to prove safety, trace products, and act fast if a safety risk arises. It applies from 13 December 2024 and covers online and offline sales, including many marketplace listings.

What is Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR) in plain English?

Regulation (EU) 2023/988, the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), is the EU rulebook that sets a general safety requirement for consumer products: products must be safe under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use. It replaced the General Product Safety Directive 2001/95/EC and the Directive on food-imitating products 87/357/EEC, and it has applied since 13 December 2024.

The GPSR applies directly in all EU Member States. It covers products offered through any sales channel, including physical retail and distance sales. It also reflects modern risks—for example, products with software, connectivity, or cybersecurity features—where those features can affect consumer safety.

Who must comply with EU 2023/988 and what products does it cover?

Regulation (EU) 2023/988 applies to economic operators involved in placing or making consumer products available in the EU, including manufacturers, importers, distributors, and certain service providers in the supply chain. It also applies to products sold online, including offers that target EU consumers. In practice, if you sell to EU consumers, you should assume the GPSR is relevant unless a more specific EU safety law fully covers your product.

It covers virtually any product intended for consumers, or likely to be used by consumers under reasonably foreseeable conditions, including products originally designed for professional use that may end up in consumers’ hands. Where sector-specific EU “harmonised” legislation applies (for example, CE-marking laws for certain product groups), those rules take priority for the risks they cover, and the GPSR can still fill gaps for other safety aspects.

What are the main obligations under the GPSR for selling in the EU?

The GPSR requires businesses to build safety into the product and to be able to show, quickly, that they have done so. The core idea is prove safety, ensure traceability, and respond fast if a product creates a risk. Obligations apply across offline and online sales, and market surveillance authorities can request evidence and order corrective actions.

  • General safety requirement: only safe products may be placed on, or made available on, the EU market.
  • Risk assessment: identify hazards and reasonably foreseeable misuse, including impacts on vulnerable users (for example, children or older adults).
  • Technical documentation: compile and keep documentation that demonstrates product safety, and make it available to authorities on request.
  • Traceability and labelling: mark products so they can be identified (for example, model, batch, or serial number), and provide the manufacturer’s identification and contact details. Where required, include the contact details of an EU-based economic operator on the product or packaging.
  • Warnings and instructions: provide clear safety information in the languages of the Member States where the product is sold.
  • Accident and risk handling: investigate safety complaints, take corrective measures, and carry out withdrawals or recalls when needed, using the required consumer-facing recall communications where applicable.
  • Cooperation with authorities: respond to market surveillance requests and cooperate on corrective actions. The Market Surveillance Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 (MSR) strengthens how authorities enforce these rules.
  • Online marketplace duties: online marketplace providers must structure their interfaces so that required product safety and traceability information can be provided, and they must support recall communications and points of contact.

How does EARP help with Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR) compliance?

[COMPANY] helps you meet GPSR and MSR requirements by providing EU-based regulatory roles and operational support that marketplaces and authorities expect. We can support you with:

  • EU Responsible Person and EU Authorised Representative services, aligned with your product and supply chain setup
  • Document presence and completeness checks, plus secure technical documentation storage and fast retrieval
  • Liaison with EU market surveillance authorities, including structured handling of information requests
  • Marketplace readiness support, so you can respond quickly to platform documentation requests

See our services, or contact us to confirm which role you need and what to prepare next.

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