On November 5th, the SPEAC II Final Forum was successfully organised in Guangzhou. The event brought together key stakeholders from the European Union and China, including Michael McGrath, European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, to celebrate the project’s achievements and reaffirm their shared commitment to improving consumer product safety. The forum welcomed over 200 participants on site and attracted more than 200,000 online viewers.

Opening remarks by Franck Porte, First Counsellor and Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to China, emphasised the project’s accomplishment in fostering collaboration to address product safety challenges in a rapidly evolving global market.

In his keynote speech, Michael McGrath, European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, highlighted the importance of modernising product safety rules, particularly in response to e-commerce growth.

Lu Chunming from GACC and Huang Bin from Guangzhou Customs, reaffirmed China’s commitment to improving product safety compliance.

The second part of the forum focused on the outcomes of the SPEAC II project. Gianluca Ghiara, SPEAC Team Leader, presented an overview of the project’s achievements, which include:

• Over 100 online and offline training sessions were conducted, benefitting more than 1 million participants.
• Development of user-friendly tools such as the SPEAC Finder and SPEAC Academy, which have supported over 50,000 users in understanding EU product safety requirements.
• Engagement with e-commerce platforms, manufacturers, testing bodies, and business associations to enhance product safety awareness and strengthen compliance.

Strong partnerships between the EU and Chinese authorities, such as STRRC’s collaboration with SPEAC, were celebrated as key milestones. Ling Wentao, Deputy Director at the Research Center of GACC for International Inspection and Quarantine Standards and Technical Regulations (STRRC), highlighted the fruitful collaboration between the SPEAC project and Chinese authorities, particularly in advancing product safety.

The event concluded with a roundtable discussion and closing remarks by Jan Landscheidt-Haas, GIZ Regional Director for Asia and Latin America, who summarised the project’s impact and called for continued cooperation to safeguard consumers worldwide.

The SPEAC II Final Forum showcased a positive example of EU-China collaboration, underscoring the shared responsibility to protect the health and safety of consumers in an increasingly interconnected world. As the EU’s General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) came recently into application, initiatives like SPEAC will remain vital in ensuring compliance and addressing product safety challenges in global trade.