The EU has once again passed a few new laws that will put us small businesses under extreme strain and will continue to do so in the future.
Let’s start with the GSPR, or the General Safety and Performance Requirements in European English, and in German simply the Product Safety Regulation. From 13 December 2024, it will be mandatory for everyone who places goods on the market in the EU. In simple terms, each article must always include an article number, a reference to product safety and a risk assessment. In the online shop for every (!) item and attached to the product or as an instruction leaflet. There are virtually no exceptions. A link to the GSPR information for articles should be avoided. That would be at risk of a warning. I can’t wait to see when the first shop operators will be caught out. So if you didn’t know about the GSPR until now, you should quickly find out whether it applies to you.
The BFSG or Barrier-Free Strengthening Act will then come into force for companies on 28 June 2025. However, there are (fortunately) many exceptions. The following are exempt from implementation
Companies with fewer than 10 employees
Companies with an annual turnover of no more than 2,000,000 euros
The technical implementation chalice will probably pass most small companies by. So you have to be lucky sometimes.
The DPP or Digital Product Pass will then be available to everyone in 2027. I have not yet been able to find out to what extent there will be exceptions here. However, it will probably mean that a data record must be available for each product. Information on materials, ingredients, reparability, spare parts or disposal are just a small excerpt from such a data record. The passport can then be retrieved electronically using a QR code or NFI chip, for example. What must be included in such a data record is set out in the EU Eco-Design Directive, among other things
So if you’re bored or there’s not so much going on at a market, you can sweeten your time with GSPR, BFSG and DPP. And surely the EU will continue to ensure that none of the small businesses and one-person shops lose their appetite for business due to boredom! Or will they?
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