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Compliance Glossary

Market Surveillance Authorities

Government bodies monitoring product safety

Clear definitions for marketplaces, manufacturers, and importers.

What it means

Market surveillance authorities are government bodies that check whether products on the market comply with applicable regulations. In Germany, these are various state-level authorities as well as the BAuA at federal level. They conduct random inspections, respond to complaints, can order product recalls, and impose fines. The EU-wide Safety Gate system (formerly RAPEX) links national authorities.