Germany wants EU to tighten controls on toys

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Economy Minister Michael Glos is urging the European Union to impose stricter controls on imported toys following massive recalls of Chinese-made products by U.S. toymaking giant Mattel.

In an Aug. 30 letter to EU Enterprise Commissioner Guenter Verheugen that was seen by Reuters, Glos proposes new rules that would force toymakers outside the EU to divulge the details of their production plans and allow quality checks by a third party approved by the bloc.

"The latest recalls clearly show that even the biggest, well-known toymakers are unable to put in place the quality controls that would prevent dangerous toys from coming to market," Glos writes in the letter.

Last month, Mattel recalled over 18 million Chinese-made toys because of risks from small magnets that can injure children if swallowed. Two week earlier, the company recalled 1.5 million toys over lead paint fears.