EEA Incorporates New Cobalt Restrictions for Toys

Toy safety requirements in Europe do not stop at the borders of the European Union. Products sold in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway must also meet the rules set out in the EU Toy Safety Directive once those rules are incorporated into the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement. For toy manufacturers, importers and retailers, that means a change adopted in Brussels can quickly become a compliance obligation across a wider market. The latest example concerns cobalt, a substance used in stainless steel components, current-carrying parts and magnets. Understanding where cobalt is now permitted, and under what conditions, helps you keep products moving across the European single market.

The decision specifically adds Commission Directive (EU) 2026/192, which amended Appendix A of Annex II to the EU Toy Safety Directive (2009/48/EC) regarding cobalt in toys. As a result, the updated cobalt requirements already adopted by the EU will also apply within the EEA countries, including Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, helping maintain alignment of toy safety rules across the European single market.

Commission Directive (EU) 2026/192 amends the EU Toy Safety Directive to permit the use of cobalt in certain specific toy applications, despite cobalt being classified as a carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction (CMR) Category 1B substance under the EU Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation. This directive allows cobalt to be used in the following toy applications:

• Toys and toy components made of stainless steel, where cobalt is an impurity in the nickel
• Toy components intended to conduct electric current
• Neodymium-based magnets that cannot be swallowed or inhaled

The incorporation of these requirements into the EEA entered into force on May 1, 2026, subject to the required EEA notifications.

Official source