The European Union's consumer protection chief on Wednesday warned against the use of consumer safety as a disguise for protectionism, insisting on an open economy for Europe.

"There is a very thin line between protection and protectionism. There are old world protectionists who would like to hide behind the skirts of consumer safety. I think they believe that risk is defined more by its passport than the hazards involved," Meglena Kuneva, EU commissioner for consumer protection told a European Parliament committee.

"Europe has made the choice for an open society and an open economy. This has brought and continues to bring tremendous benefits to European consumers, taxpayers, workers and enterprises," she added.

In response to the recent recalls of Chinese-made toys by Mattel Inc., the largest American toy company, Kuneva said she is committed to reinforced cooperation with China with a view to ensure the improvement of the safety of consumer products.

While stressing there would be no compromise on consumer safety, Kuneva said, "I believe that Europe's relationship with China in this area should be developed by building consumer confidence through cooperation."

"Our work with China has brought tangible results," she added.

In addition to seeking further cooperation from China, Kuneva urged member states and companies to improve enforcement of product safety rules.

"The key to the success of a legal instrument in achieving its objectives -- in this case the development of an internal market of safe goods -- lies first of all with its effective enforcement," she told EU lawmakers.

Kuneva said her priority now is the enforcement of EU consumer rules, under which member states and companies must shoulder their full responsibility and "raise their game on enforcement at national and local level."

EU rules "must be applied from the assembly line to the checkout till," she said.

Although Kuneva said the current rules are up to task, she also made it clear that if necessary she would take additional action at EU level to reinforce safety controls.

"Should the risks require it, I will not hesitate to go further and use the full range of tools available under EU product safety law from checks to controls," she said.

In her speech to EU lawmakers, Kuneva set out a plan for a two-month review of toy safety and consumer product safety control mechanisms, including a series of meetings with member states' product safety authorities, industries and consumer organizations. Preliminary conclusions were expected to be drawn by November.