RAPEX is European, quick warning and information system, providing information about dangerous consumer products of non-food nature, excluding pharmaceutical products. It is used to directly or indirectly communicate risks relevant to health and safety of consumers, who would otherwise came into contact with dangerous products.

The goal of the RAPEX system is to ensure quick information exchange between member states and the Committee, accepted by member states, in order to eliminated or lower the risks originating from the use or sale of dangerous products. A part of the notification system used by RAPEX, includes mandatory obligations to notify the authorities about risks, as well as voluntary notification of manufactures and distributors.

The legal base of RAPEX is specified in the Association directive, describing product general safety regulations (2001/95/ES). The legal base in the Czech Republic is described by law No. 102/2001 Coll., the General product safety and by the directive of the Czech government No. 396/2004 Coll., describing processes, contents and forms of information sharing, as well as the existence of non-food products.

Dangerous products, discovered by the applicable EU supervisory bodies, which may be present on the EU markets, are subject to be reported. Information about the dangerous products is shared between all member states. To ensure efficient information sharing, the European Committee created the Rapex database.

European consumers may find it at:

http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/dyna/rapex/rapex_archives_en.cfm.

This database is in English language. A copy of this public database, translated into Czech language, is also available for Czech consumers on the web page of the Association for consumer protection of the Czech Republic at:

http://www.spotrebitele.info/rapex.php

Similar database, but based on testing results, may also be found on the TEST magazine web site at:

http://www.dtest.cz/index.php?action=2&pclanky=2&pkategorieid=23

It is important to remind our consumers that information included in these databases may not be, under any circumstances, used to claim rights for product exchange or return, to claim reimbursement of purchase price or to claim reimbursement for damages. The consumer may claim his rights only if the applicable dangerous product announcement was issued by the national supervisory body (e.g. CTI) and if such announcement is based on findings and tests performed by the supervisory body and the supervisory body began relevant legal proceedings against the supplier or distributor of such dangerous product.