Which EU languages are required for toy documentation and warnings?
When placing toys on the market in the EU you must respect the language requirements of each Member State. The EU toy safety directive 2009/48/EC states: “a Member State may, within its territory, stipulate that warnings and the safety instructions shall be written in a language or languages easily understood by consumers, as determined by that Member State”. In the latest edition of Toy Updates, we will cover the following topics:
- What are these languages?
- Where can you find warning translations?
- What about the Declaration of Conformity (DoC)? Which languages are required?
- What about the Technical Documentation? Which languages are required?
What Are the Required Languages for Each Country?
Did you know that for Belgium you need to provide Dutch in the Dutch language region, French in the French language region, German in the German language region and both Dutch and French in the capital Brussels?
Details of the language requirements for all EU Member States are provided on the EU commission website: Language requirements for warnings, information and documentation
Where Can You Find Correct Warning Translations?
CEN, the European Committee for Standardization, has collected translations of all warnings required by the toy standards, the EN 71-series and the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC. They have been compiled in the CEN report CEN/TR 15071 which is available to purchase at standards institutes like, DIN, AFNOR, BSI, AENOR, etc. The European Commission has provided translations for the warnings listed in the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC: Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC warning translations
What about the Declaration of Conformity (DoC)? Which Languages Are Required?
The Declaration of Conformity (DoC) needs to be translated into the language or languages determined by the relevant Member State. The EU Commission has collected translations of the DoC template in all required languages and published them on the EU website: DoC template translations
What about the Technical Documentation? Which Languages Are Required?
The Technical Documentation shall be drawn up in one of the 24 official languages of the Community. The market surveillance authority of a Member State can request that the manufacturer provides a translation of relevant parts of the technical documentation into the language of that Member State. This needs to be a reasoned request and the manufacturer has 30 days to provide the translation, unless a shorter deadline is justified in the case of serious and immediate risk.
Previous Toy Updates:
Global Marketing Team
Consumer and Retail
t: +852 2204 8324
www.sgs.com/toys
