Latest EU nonsense (GPSR)

[David Cochrane]

The EU is introducing a new measure called the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) which will come into effect next Friday (13th). I won't bore you with the details (you can easily look them up online) but the effect is that we will no longer be able to supply anything to customers in any EU country AND in Northern Ireland. Yes, I know NI is still part of the UK, but because of the Northern Ireland protocol they get hit by it as well.

There is a BBC article about it here: www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9wrz57gkvwo

This measure also applies to companies within the EU so in this case we are benefitting from Brexit, otherwise we would either be out of business or have to massively increase our prices to pay for the extra bureaucracy and paperwork.

A sad time, especially for our A7 friends in the EU and Northern Ireland.

[Ivor Hawkins]

If I were still in business I would take the course of action taken by the French in these cases…smile, nod in agreement then do my own thing by finding a way around it!

More unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy, stifling creativity and small businesses, typical of the controlling EU regime.

[Charles P]

Will Brexit ever stop causing grief?
I suppose that finding a mainland UK friend, getting it shipped there and then sent on as a surprising personal gift might work?

[Colin Morgan]

Saw this comment on a discussion forum - "The gist is that anything on the market before 13 December 2024 is assumed to be compliant."

If this is true - does it help in the short term? - until it becomes clear how the requirements might be cost effectively managed by small businesses everywhere?

[Tony Griffiths]

If you think this is utterly mad, try this for an entertaining read, the German Packaging Regulations: https://www.ecosistant.eu/en/german-packaging-act-2022/
According to friends in the USA, the increasingly draconian raft of EU trade regulations is an absolute delight. As one commented, "Excellent. They're strangling themselves to economic death."

[Reckless Rat]

The problem with the EU is that it is a rules based organisation. It cannot exist without introducing more and more rules and regulations because that's all it does. They are dreamt up by the EU Commission bureaucrats and then passed to the EU Parliament for ratification. They will, as you say eventually stifle themselves with it.

[Ivor Hawkins]

You’ve hit the nail on the head, hopefully, the EU will come to its senses stop causing all this grief.

I have friends on the continent and thankfully we help each other by shipping various items…I send them British car and motor cycle parts and they send me French and Italian bits!

One thing we do avoid is using any of the big courier companies like DHL. If you use them you’ll soon learn why!