Yorkshire's Charity Shops Threatened

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 27th Sep 2000

Charity shops in Yorkshire & the Humber face a threat to their future unless British Euro-MPs can make changes to a new law being promoted by the European Commission.

The 'General Product Safety Directive' aims to protect consumers from harm by increasing the safety of products sold across Europe, but campaigners fear that it could also impose burdens on charity shops, which at worse will force them out of business.

The new rules will require retailers to provide information to help trace and recall dangerous goods. But the Association of Charity Shops, which represents 150 charities including not only Oxfam and the Cancer Research Campaign but also many local causes, says that they sell unique second-hand products donated by the public and it is impossible for them to act like major stores.

Charity shop organisers fear that they may risk prosecution if they are unable to comply with the new law, and that this would be too great a risk to bear.

Yorkshire & the Humber's Liberal Democrat Euro-MP, Diana Wallis, is supporting a formal amendment to the proposal calling for charity shops to be exempt from its provisions. Britain has more than 6,000 charity shops which raise over £70 million each year for charitable work, and Diana Wallis claims that they already comply with most safety regulations.

Diana Wallis said: "Charity shops are almost unique to Britain, and it is obvious that the European Commission didn't realise the full implications when it tabled its proposals. Changes must be made, and I will do my very best to make sure that this happens.

"I am sorry to hear that the Eurosceptics are leaping on the bandwagon and attacking 'Brussels' for this measure. In fairness they should admit that its purpose is to protect the consumer."

Ms Wallis said that the idea of giving charity shops special exemption had all-party support amongst British MEPs, and she was "quietly confident" that the European Parliament would succeed in changing the legislation and meeting the concerns of charity shops.

Association of Charity Shops: 020 7422 8620