Economic Operator
What is an Economic Operator?
An Economic Operator is any business or individual involved in the supply chain of a product placed on the EU market. Under EU product safety legislation, including Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR), the term covers manufacturers, importers, distributors, authorised representatives, fulfilment service providers, and online marketplace operators — each carrying specific legal obligations depending on their role.
Why It Matters
EU product safety regulations do not place obligations solely on manufacturers. Every party involved in bringing a product to EU consumers may have responsibilities under the applicable legislation.
Understanding which economic operator role applies to your business determines what compliance obligations you must meet — from labelling and documentation requirements to incident reporting and corrective actions. Regulators and market surveillance authorities can hold any economic operator in the supply chain accountable where non-compliance is identified.
For ecommerce sellers, logistics providers, and platform operators, correctly identifying your role as an economic operator is an important first step in meeting EU regulatory requirements.
Key Requirements
Who Is Considered an Economic Operator?
Under the GPSR and related EU legislation, economic operators include:
- Manufacturers – Those who produce or have a product produced and market it under their name or trademark.
- Importers – EU-established entities that place products from third countries onto the EU market.
- Distributors – Any person in the supply chain who makes a product available on the EU market, other than the manufacturer or importer.
- Authorised Representatives – EU-established entities formally appointed by a non-EU manufacturer to act on their behalf.
- Fulfilment Service Providers – Entities offering storage, packaging, or dispatch services for products destined for EU consumers.
- Online Marketplace Operators – Platforms that enable third-party sellers to list products for EU consumers.
This framework applies under:
- Regulation (EU) 2023/988 – General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR)
- Regulation (EU) 2017/745 – EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR)
- Other CE marking directives and sector-specific EU regulations
Obligations vary depending on the specific role, but responsibilities across economic operators commonly include:
- Ensuring products placed or made available on the EU market are safe and compliant
- Maintaining or providing access to technical documentation upon request
- Displaying required identification information on products or packaging
- Cooperating with market surveillance authorities during investigations
- Reporting known safety risks or incidents to the relevant authorities
- Taking corrective actions, including withdrawals or recalls, where required
Economic Operator vs. Responsible Person
These are not the same thing. Economic Operator is a broad term covering all parties in the supply chain with regulatory obligations. A Responsible Person is a specific role under the GPSR, referring to the EU-established entity accountable for a non-EU manufacturer’s product safety compliance.
In practice, a Responsible Person will always be an economic operator, but not all economic operators fulfil the Responsible Person role.
Need GPSR compliance support?
Euverify provides EU Authorised Representative services for manufacturers and ecommerce sellers placing products on the EU market. Our team supports documentation review, regulatory communication, and ongoing compliance management.
Further Reading
