CE Marking:

The CE Marking that appears on many different products (from teddy bears to 30-ton hydraulic presses) is a important feature of a product and indicates it complies with the detailed essential requirements for that type of products. CE marking a product is required if the product falls under one of the appropriate EU Directives. The converse is also true, if a product is not covered by an appropriate directive then it should not carry the CE marking.

Not an Option: CE marking a product is not an option; it is a legal requirement within the European Economic Area ("EEA", consisting of the 27 EU Member States, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), if the product falls under one of the European Union (CE Marking) Directives. By adding the mark, the manufacturer, their authorized representative, or an importer is declaring that that the products meet all the essential requirements of all applicable EU directives. Effectively CE marking indicates to all authorities that the product is in compliance with the essential health and safety requirements of all directives that apply to the product. 

With the exception of some high-risk products, most products can be “self- assessed” by the manufacturer. The meaning of the CE Mark is widely misunderstood, it is not a quality mark” or “certificate of approval”, it is a declaration of the supplier's own responsibility and it allows only for the free movement of the item with the EEA it also enables the withdrawal of non-conforming products to be accomplished more easily.

Why have CE Marking? .. surely it's an unnecessary hassle: CE marking was introduced throughout the EU for the following reasons,

• To harmonise requirements through the EEA 
• Create a single European market 
• Protect the consumer/customer and the environment  
• Simplify the lives of manufacturers and importers! 

The last point often comes as a surprise to people involved in the manufacture of products, however before the introduction of these harmonized requirements it was not uncommon for a manufacturer involved in export to have to "jump through a variety of compliance hoops" for each European country.  

What types of products need to be CE marked? The official answer to this is anything that is covered by the appropriate directives! These include,

• Medical devices of all types
• Stand-alone electrical products and “Working” sub-assemblies  
• Machinery and large-scale installations
• Pressure equipment
• Custom-designed equipment 
• Second-hand equipment (under certain circumstances)
• Many others ......

More information is given in the list of directives that can be accessed by selecting the menu item on the right.                                                                                                          231111