Your Definitive Guide to CE Marking
For the last 20 years, there has not been a single week in which I have not been asked the following:
“How much does CE certification cost?”
It is a very understandable question. I am sure that it is on your mind as well. Before you start the process of getting the CE marking, it is good to have an overview of the costs involved. But most people do not realize how difficult it is to answer this question.
The Netherlands Radiocommunications Agency wants to make citizens aware of the dangers of disruptive and vulnerable electrical and wireless equipment through a public campaign. Devices without a CE mark could potentially cause interference or be unsafe.
I made this short video presentation to answer some of the basic questions about CE marking. Do you like it? Please comment below. Which specific CE marking questions would you like me to answer in a video like this one?
Last week, this blogpost of the good folks at European Law Blog was brought to our attention. In a well written article, Megi Medzmariashvili informs us about an interesting case that will be brought to the European Court of Justice soon. This ‘James Elliot Construction case’ concerns the interpretation of the practice of ‘attaching’ harmonised standards to European directives and regulations. This practice is a specific feature of the CE marking directives and the EU’s regulatory approach called the New Legislative Framework.
If the European Court of Justice will follow the opinion of the Attorney General in this case, this could lead to end of one of the corner stones of the CE marking system: the referring to standards developed by private standardisation bodies. It also potentially endangers the European standardisation’s financial model and it could bring an end to the protection of harmonised standard’s copyrights. We’ll be following the developments in this case with great interest!
We thank European Law Blog and Megi Medzmariashvili for allowing us to repost their blog post here:
Recently our founder, Han Zuyderwijk, was interviewed by the fine folks at Chinaimportal. Here is a transcript of the interview.
Interview with Ian Fraser, former Policy Officer at the European Commission responsible for the Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC), and Team Leader about questions related to the Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC).
Doug Nix and Han Zuyderwijk discuss with Ian about:
– the regulatory developments in the directive in the last ten years;
– the concept of the ‘person authorised to compile the technical documentation’ and how it differs from the authorised representative;
– the integration of risk assessment into the EMC Directive and Low Voltage Directive;
– responsibilities for products placed in the market when a) the relevant directives are amended, and b) relevant standards are amended. What does that mean for the conformity assessment and the Declaration of Conformity;
– how the future amendments to the Medical Devices Regulation/Directive relates to the Machinery Directive;
– are electromagnetic compatibility aspects of machinery going to be reinforced in the Machinery Directive;
whether there should be more regulations or certification of CE/Machine Safety consultants.
We briefly lost connection and therefore the recording was interrupted for a short while. Obviously, it pays off to join the live session ;)
Please leave your comments or questions below.
On Saturday 29 March 2014, the European Commission has published the recasts of eight CE marking directives. These directives are aligned with the rules and responsibilities for CE marking that were published earlier in Decision 768/2008/EU. These eight directives get new numbers.
When you buy parts or components you try to make sure they are CE marked. However, how can you be sure that the CE marking and compliance documentation of your suppliers are real? How can you check the CE marking? For your company it is important to receive CE compliant products or components. Your company has an obligation to check the CE compliance. It may even bear the end responsibility for these supplier products.