PLD economic operator role mapper

Potential liability pathways by role

Map a manufacturer, importer, distributor, or platform without saying anyone is liable.

Saved answers stay inside these labels: kind_band, service_band, commercial_band, foss_band, movement_band, timing_band, role_band, base_band, found_band, soft_band, update_band, learn_band, integrate_band, safety_band, modified_band, control_band, purpose_band, hazard_band, risk_band, foresaw_band, version_band, design_band, change_band, test_band, defect_band, file_band, trace_band, keep_band, owner_band, handling_band, stock_band, date_band, map_band, digital_band, evidence_band, nation_band, plan_band

Which economic operator role fits?Where is the manufacturer established?Is an EU economic operator identifiable?

What this checks

Economic operators can include the manufacturer of a product or component, a related-service provider, an authorised representative, an importer, a fulfilment service provider, and a distributor. If an EU-established manufacturer cannot be identified, the pathway may involve the importer, the authorised representative, the fulfilment service provider, and in defined circumstances a distributor. The result is a potential liability pathway, never a statement that you are liable.

Who should use this

Teams mapping economic operator liability readiness before a market placement.

How results work

A known EU manufacturer can be a primary role. Other listed operators are a potential pathway. A distributor or platform stays a secondary review.

Dates used in this screen

Member States must transpose Directive (EU) 2024/2853 by 2026-12-09. The new liability framework is for products placed on the market or put into service after 2026-12-08. Earlier products remain with the previous framework. National transposition is not filled in here.

Official sources

Use the current text of Directive (EU) 2024/2853, the 2026 corrigendum, the Commission pages on defective-product liability, and national transposition information when it is published. The older product liability directive remains the prior framework.

Limitations

Online platforms are not assigned a primary pathway from these facts alone. Defined circumstances for distributors are not decided here.

How to read the screen

Start with known facts

Select the closest role, the manufacturer's establishment, and whether an EU operator is identifiable.

Leave gaps open

An unknown role, establishment, or identification stays in review.

Readiness is not a judgment

A potential pathway is a screening label. It is not a finding of liability.

Questions

Why is a distributor secondary?

Approved facts place distributors in defined circumstances, not as the ordinary first pathway.

What if the manufacturer is outside the EU?

That stays a potential pathway involving the importer, authorised representative, or fulfilment provider when those facts are known.

Does this store documents or names?

No. Only the selected categories and the ruleset version can be saved.

Where do national rules fit?

If implementation in a Member State matters and is not verified, the result stays a national-law check. No national date is invented.