Bundesnetzagentur again records a significant number of non-conforming devices
Year of issue 2025
Date of issue 2025.02.06
In 2024 the Bundesnetzagentur identified around 8,000 different product types that did not meet the legal requirements and in some cases had significant deficiencies. This affected more than 5.3mn individual items.
"We are protecting our consumers from products that are placed on the market without complying with the legal requirements. These products often come from non-EU countries, in particular from China. This is how we maintain fair competition and protect our consumers from unauthorised products. We will continue to strengthen our efforts,"
said Klaus Müller, President of the Bundesnetzagentur.
The Bundesnetzagentur imposed sanctions on products offered for sale both online and by brick-and-mortar retailers, also working together with customs authorities. Products that do not comply with the technical or formal requirements, for example that do not have the required information about the economic operator responsible for the product in the EU or do not have the required CE marking, may not be offered for sale in Germany.
Market surveillance of products for sale online
In 2024 the Bundesnetzagentur detected a total of 1,400 instances of non-compliant products being offered for sale online and had the offerings removed from the market in cooperation with the sales platforms. This involved around three million individual items.
In 2024 the Bundesnetzagentur conducted a campaign to check products offered for sale online on platforms outside the EU by placing test orders and viewing products on the screen. In addition, the Bundesnetzagentur asked the responsible economic operators to provide compliance documents and evaluated them. As a result of the campaign almost all products were found to be deficient. The products checked included remote-controlled drones, without any conformity documentation being provided, LED lighting equipment without CE marking and illegal jammers.
Market surveillance in the German retail market
The Bundesnetzagentur carried out checks on nearly 2,500 product types offered for sale by brick-and-mortar retailers in Germany. It issued a total of 28 sales bans and 872 requests for corrective action for non-compliant products. This affected a total of more than 1.9mn individual items.
The products checked included multifunctional chargers, which can cause interference in bands of spectrum used by the police, fire and emergency medical services. Some speedometers, which are sold as accessories for motor vehicles, did not meet the permissible transmission frequency in technical checks resulting in interference with aeronautical and aeronautical radionavigation services. Radio equipment can pose a risk if it is used with live parts or faulty batteries. By checking these products the Bundesnetzagentur makes sure that the equipment safety requirements are met.
Cooperation between market surveillance and customs authorities
Close cooperation between the Bundesnetzagentur and the customs authorities ensures effective market surveillance. Non-compliant products are identified at an early stage and stopped at the border, preventing them from entering the German market as part of the European internal market.
In 2024 the customs authorities submitted to the Bundesnetzagentur around 5,500 reports of suspicious goods consignments. About 92% of the reported items were found to be deficient and were prohibited from entering the European market. The import ban affected more than 406,000 products.
The latest episode of the Bundesnetzagentur podcast “Die Akte Tulpenfeld” also focuses on dangerous and illegal products and features Martin Lips, Head of the Market Surveillance Section. Now available (only in German) on various media channels or at: www.bundesnetzagentur.de/podcast.