The first joint webinar with the Hangzhou Customs District Technical Center (HCTC) together with the Hangzhou Innovation Development Center of China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone, was conducted successfully on 14 May 2021. Presentations were delivered by SPEAC and Hangzhou senior experts, who answered a dozen questions during the Q&A session. Opening welcome videos were presented by DG JUST Commissioner Didier Reynders and Hangzhou partners. Moderation was done by SPEAC team leader Gerhard Weihs.

This webinar provided an overview of the EU product safety rules for toys, juvenile products, and electrical household appliances, examples of dangerous products alerted on the EU Safety Gate website were shared. The Chinese experts provided a comparison between Chinese national standards and EU standards, however with the conclusion that it is always determined by the target market, such as the EU, which rules must be adhered. In addition, new EU rules on cross-border trade were explained. The new EU legislation demands, starting in July 2021, that anybody who wants to sell products on the EU market must have an economic operator in the EU, which can be contacted by the EU authorities and consumers. This new rule will have a significant impact on sales crossing the EU border, especially online sales.

The target groups were manufacturers and experts from inspection and testing institutions. 586 participants attended the live event online, and 93 participants followed the event on site.

The 90-minutes online training was broadcasted in ZOOM, connected to MUDU, and simultaneously interpreted. The webinar was also attended by DG GROW. The recorded webinar can be streamed on: www.speac-project.eu.