Market surveillance aims to ensure health, safety, consumer protection and to prevent unfair competition between companies.
Despite the fact that only safe products may be sold on the market, dangerous products are sometimes found. Market surveillance means that the competent authority ensures that products available on the market comply with current legislation and that they are labelled and tested according to the regulations.
The competent authority shall take action against those actors whose products do not meet the legal requirements. Measures that may be relevant include sales bans, withdrawal of products from the market, recall or fines.
In Sweden, a large number of state and municipal authorities have such market surveillance responsibilities and Swedac is responsible for the coordination and is designated single liaison office according to the EU market surveillance regulation. The coordination takes place primarily through the Market Surveillance Council, where representatives from 16 national market surveillance authorities, National Board of Trade and Swedish Customs participates. Swedac is responsible for the Presidency of the Council and the Secretariat.
Market surveillance may take the form of planned inspections of manufacturers, importers or distributors, or as reactions to reported accidents, public complaints or warnings from authorities in other countries.
Given the rapid pace of product development and the large amount of products available on the market, it is impossible to check all products. For this reason, market surveillance takes place in the form of samples for risk assessment.
Read more about market surveillance on marknadskontroll.se