IJE/IBJ Deep Dive - Product Liability & Security in the EU and Belgium: Handling the Risks Associated with Defective or Non-Compliant Products

An inescapable part of marketing your (non-food) products consists of managing the risks caused by defective and/or non-compliant products. To deal with the legal aspect of this risk, economic operators must take measures prior to putting their products on the market as well as once the product has been commercialized.

During the first part of this seminar we will briefly set out the broader EU safety regulatory framework for consumer and non-consumer products, including a brief practical overview of REACH and the specific regulations for medical devices, before discussing in more detail the various aspects of notifications and recalls. We will also highlight some of the recent initiatives taken by the EU Commission with respect to enforcement and representative actions.

During the second part of the seminar we will address the various forms of liability (under Belgian law) which may be triggered once a defective product has caused damages. We will also discuss whether, and if so to what extent, such liability can be limited and we will provide you with practical guidance in this respect.