WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1798/98 by Jessica LARIVE to the Commission. Safety of cigarette lighters
Date: 1998-06-11
Institutions: European Parliament, LARIVE
Subjects: European Union, European standard, United States, child, consumer protection, market supervision, product safety, safety standard, tobacco industry

C 13/86

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.1.1999

Reply

(24 September 1998)

It is not for the Council to intervene vis-(cid:224)-vis a Member State regarding the application of national rules issued by
the authorities of that State.

(1999/C 13/123)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1798/98

by Jessica Larive (ELDR) to the Commission

(11 June 1998)

Subject: Safety of cigarette lighters

European Union safety regulations include European standard EN ISO 9994-1996 standard on safety aspects of
cigarette lighters › and the general product-safety Directive. Both measures are aimed at ensuring that lighters
are safe for use by consumers. The ISO is a voluntary standard which the industry undertakes to uphold on the
basis of self-regulation. In the United States, over and above the ISO standard, a compulsory safety standard has
been in force since 12 July 1994 which requires lighters manufactured in or imported into the US to be child-
proof. Despite these measures, accidents continue to be caused in the European Union by cigarette-lighter
explosions or by fires started after children have played with cigarette lighters. The relevant Europe standard is at
present undergoing review. That task was recently entrusted to the European Standards Institute (ESI).

Does the Commission consider that improved measures should be adopted in the light of this review to

1.
prevent children from being able to play with cigarette lighters? If so, what are they?

2.

Does the Commission consider that maximum flame heights should be limited?

Does the Commission consider that so-called (cid:145)heat-column(cid:146) lighters should be covered by this procedure

3.
and be investigated further?

Does the Commission think that it should try to ensure that Member States do more to bring about

4.
compliance with the Europe standard in this connection? If so how? If not, why not?

5. Would there be scope, in the consumer interest, for a more binding Commission measure if it became
apparent that compliance with the standard was less than complete and Member States were not fully monitoring
their own industries?

6.
Does the Commission consider that a compulsory safety standard, following the example set by United
States, would also be the most effective means of preventing accidents with cigarette lighters within the European
Union?

(1999/C 13/124)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1988/98

by David Bowe (PSE) to the Commission

(30 June 1998)

Subject: Safety of cigarette lighters and matches

At present, European voluntary safety standards exist for lighters (EN ISO 9994 of February 1996) and for
matches (EN 1783 of February 1997). Most European cigarette lighter and match manufacturers comply with the
standards.

The Commission has mandated the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) to look at new and stricter
safety standards. However, is the Commission aware that the current standards are not observed by many third
country manufacturers, which leads to unfair competition and, more importantly, a safety risk for European
consumers? Furthermore, is the Commission prepared to make existing standards mandatory in order to protect
consumers from dangerous cigarette lighters and matches? If not, why not?