GPSR in 2026: What the General Product Safety Regulation has brought

The GPSR (General Product Safety Regulation) is a regulation issued by the European Union. It aims to ensure that products placed on the market are safe for consumers. This regulation replaces the older General Product Safety Directive. It responds to current technological and commercial trends and provides a modernised framework for what is considered a safety standard.

Need to check whether your e-shop, product or supply chain complies with the GPSR? Take advantage of the Lawyer for Business service.

What is GPSR?

The GPSR aims to protect consumers from unsafe products, including those from third countries. The GPSR focuses on comprehensive product safety regulation across the European Union. It responds to new challenges such as digitalisation and e-commerce.

Safety is assessed from several perspectives, the main important ones being:

• product characteristics,
• the impact on other products,
• product presentation (labelling, age recommendations, other warnings),
• the range of consumers for whom the product is intended (products for children must meet increased requirements),
• the appearance of the product,
• the function of the product.

Who is affected by the GPSR?

The GPSR applies to consumer products supplied on the EU market, including products sold online. It affects manufacturers, importers, distributors and other operators in the supply chain. Specific rules also apply to distance selling and to providers of online marketplaces, i.e. platforms that allow consumers to contract with distance traders (such as e-bay or Amazon). Not every regular e-shop is therefore automatically an online marketplace, but even a regular e-shop must comply with the information obligations under the GPSR when offering online.

Obligations under the GPSR

The Regulation imposes a number of obligations on all actors in the supply chain – manufacturers, importers, distributors and e-shop operators. Among the most important ones are:

1. Obligations of manufacturers

Manufacturers are responsible for the safety of products from the design to the placing on the market. Their main responsibilities are:

• Safety assessment: as a manufacturer, you must carry out a risk analysis to ensure that the product does not endanger the health or safety of consumers.
• Compliance with standards: You must ensure that the product complies with the relevant technical standards and regulations.
• Product labelling: You must clearly and legibly label the product with the manufacturer’s name, brand or other identifying information.
• Safety information: You must provide consumers with instructions, warnings and safety instructions for the product in the language of the country where the product is sold.
• Product monitoring: You must maintain systems to monitor products on the market and actively monitor potential risks.
• Risk communication: You must inform competent authorities and consumers of any product safety issues and recall unsafe products.

2. Obligations of importers

Importers ensure that products coming from third countries meet EU safety requirements. Their obligations include:

• Verifying compliance: As an importer, you must check that the product complies with European standards and is labelled in accordance with the GPSR.
• Ensuring documentation: You must verify that the manufacturer has complied with its obligations under the GPSR, in particular that a risk analysis has been carried out and the necessary technical documentation has been produced. For products covered by specific EU harmonisation regulations, a declaration of conformity and other documentation according to these specific regulations may also be required.
• Traceability: You must ensure traceability of the supply chain.
• Labelling of contact details: You must indicate your contact details as the importer on the product or packaging.
• Cooperation with authorities: You must provide active assistance with market surveillance and provide information if requested.

3. Obligations of distributors

Distributors play a key role in placing products on the market. Their responsibilities include:

• Pre-distribution inspection: As a distributor, you must ensure that products are correctly labelled, contain all the necessary documents and meet safety requirements.
• Reporting problems: you must inform the manufacturer or importer of potentially dangerous products.
• Recall cooperation: You must actively participate in the recall of dangerous products and inform consumers.
• Record keeping: You must keep records of the origin and distribution of products.

4. Obligations of online shop operators

If the business offers products online, it must clearly and prominently display the information required by the GPSR – in particular the identification of the manufacturer or responsible person, the data enabling the product to be identified and the relevant warnings or safety information. The Czech law explicitly provides that warnings and safety information for online offers must be in the Czech language.

If you manage an online marketplace, you have other obligations.

• Compliance verification: You must ensure that the products you offer on your platform meet all safety requirements and are correctly labelled.
• Cooperation with authorities: You must provide information about suppliers and product distribution when requested by regulators.
• Removing unsafe products: You must respond quickly to reports of unsafe products (e.g. remove a product from your offering).
• Transparency: You must publish the contact details of suppliers and importers to make them more traceable.
• Monitoring the products you offer: You must actively monitor the products you offer on your platform to prevent the re-sale of risky products.

Example from our law practice

Our law firm was approached by the operator of a Czech e-shop that sold children’s bedside lamps, charging cables and small electronics imported from Asia. For some of the products he had only an invoice from the supplier and a basic product description in English. The website lacked information about the manufacturer, the responsible person in the EU, Czech safety warnings and information about the age suitability of the product.

We first assessed for each product group whether the client was acting as a distributor or importer. For products imported directly from outside the EU, we advised the client that they were subject to stricter obligations than a normal resale of goods from a European supplier. We then prepared a checklist of documents to request from suppliers: manufacturer identification, technical documentation, instructions, safety warnings and, for selected products, conformity assessment documents.

At the same time, we have modified the product card template for e-shops to include the mandatory information required by the GPSR – in particular product identification, information about the manufacturer or responsible person, Czech warnings and safety information. We also set up a simple internal procedure for the client in case they discover a risky product: who to report the situation to, how to withdraw the product from the offer, how to inform customers and how to keep the communication for inspection.

As a result, the client did not have to hastily recall the entire product range. It was enough to categorise the products according to risk, fill in the missing information and for the most problematic items, request additional documentation or temporarily suspend them from the offer.

If you’re not sure whether your product cards, terms and conditions, product labeling, or communications with suppliers are GPSR compliant, don’t wait for an inspection. At Lawyer for Business, we’ll check what role you play under the GPSR, what obligations apply to you and what needs to be adjusted in your e-shop, documentation or supplier contracts.

What products are covered by the GPSR?

The GPSR applies to all products except those already covered by specific legislation (e.g. medicines or food). However, if these products contain parts that are not covered by specific regulations, the GPSR also applies to them.

The exceptions, therefore, are:

• human or veterinary medicinal products, food and feed,
• live plants and animals, genetically modified organisms and micro-organisms in contained use,
• products of animal origin and by-products,
• plant protection products,
• transport equipment operated by the service provider,
• aircraft whose design, manufacture, maintenance and operation present a low safety risk,
• antiques,
• products clearly marked to be repaired or reconditioned before use.

Penalties for violation of the GPSR

Supervisory authorities may impose fines for breaches of the obligations under the GPSR. The amount of these penalties varies according to the type of obligation and the seriousness of the infringement. For example, a fine of up to CZK 5 million can be imposed on a distributor for certain deficiencies in an online offer, up to CZK 20 million on a distributor for selected infringements and up to CZK 50 million on a manufacturer or importer for placing an unsafe product on the market.

Why is GPSR important?

GPSR is a response to the increasing globalisation and digitalisation of trade. As a result:

• It increases the safety of consumers who shop on digital platforms.
• Simplifies regulation by replacing older directives and adapting to modern trends.
• It promotes fair competition by ensuring that all market participants must follow the same rules.

Summary

The GPSR provides an important framework for business on consumer product safety. It applies not only to manufacturers, but also to importers, distributors, e-shops and online marketplaces. Each of these actors has its own obligations – from assessing the safety and correct labelling of the product, to keeping documentation, to informing consumers and regulators when a risk is identified.

In particular, e-shop operators should pay particular attention to GPSR. For online offerings, it is not enough to have a photo, price and basic product description. The trader must also provide information enabling the identification of the product, the manufacturer or the responsible person and the relevant warnings or safety information in English.

The most common problem in practice is not deliberate violations of the rules, but the lack of a system. Businesses often do not have unified documentation from suppliers, do not know who is responsible for the product, and only address safety information when an inspection or complaint comes in. It therefore pays to review product ranges, product cards and supplier contracts early.