The annual EU-Canada Summit will take place in Quebec City this Friday, 17 October. The European Commission will be represented by its President, José Manuel Barroso, who will participate alongside French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in his role as President of the Council. Prime Minister Stephen Harper will represent Canada. The agenda will focus on the financial crisis and the global economy, and on boosting EU-Canada economic relations. The Summit will also look at regional issues, such as Afghanistan, where the EU and Canada are co-operating closely together to promote good governance, sound development and the rule of law.
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News and articles about CE marking
Update list of European harmonized standandards for toys
Today, the European Commission published an update of the list of European harmonized standards that manufacturers of toys may use to prove CE compliance with the Toys Directive 88/378/EEC.
This updated list is of importance to manufacturers of toys that have used European harmonized standards to prove CE compliance. When you have applied standards which have been updated by this list, you need to re-evaluate your equipment against the updated standard and update your Declaration of Conformity.
The updated list of standards can be found here or our CE Marking Library.
Update list of European harmonized standards for electrical equipment
The European Commission published an update of the list of European harmonized standards that manufacturers of electrical equipment may use to prove CE compliance with the Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC (previously 73/23/EEC).
This updated list is of importance to manufacturers of electrical equipment that have used European harmonized standards to prove CE compliance. When you have applied standards which have been updated by this list, you need to re-evaluate your equipment against the updated standard and update your Declaration of Conformity.
The updated list of standards can be found here or our CE Marking Library.
CSA International signs agreement with VDE to provide testing services for European market
CLEVELAND, OH, July 30 /PRNewswire/ – CSA International, a leading certification and testing organization, today announced that it has signed a reciprocal product testing agreement to provide testing services in North America and Asia, on behalf of VDE, for products destined for European markets. A similar reciprocal agreement allows VDE to conduct testing to North American standards on behalf of CSA International. These significant agreements signify a continuation of the long-lasting cooperation between CSA International and the VDE Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies of Frankfurt, Germany.
German authorities raid at high tech fair
With an impressive force of 220 inspectors, German custom authorities raided several companies in the Berlin on Saturday, seizing flat-screen televisions and other electronics from stands at IFA, the world’s largest consumer electronics fair.
A German court had ruled late on Thursday that several east Asian and European firms were marketing unlicensed patented technology at IFA and authorized 69 raids, a spokesman for Berlin’s customs investigation office said. Hyandai IT Corp was among the raided companies. Uniformed customs police could be witnessed removing Hyundai’s flat-screen televisions in front of the public and trade visitors, leaving an empty stand with wires hanging from it. According to the spokesperson around 170 televisions, 140 MP3 music players, 21 mobile phones and 57 DVD recorders had been seized at IFA so far.
The theft of trade secrets by foreign companies is a sensitive topic in Germany, where the economy depends on a research-intensive export sector.
Similar but smaller raids have taken place at other German technology fairs such as Hanover’s Cebit in recent years.
Market Surveillance of products in the European Union
I found this video on YouTube that explains quite nicely how market surveillance works in the European Union. Market surveillance is the name for all activities related to the control of product safety and compliance by the inspection authorities of the Member States of the European Union. It shows you what these autorities do to find unsafe and non-compliant products and to prosecute the manufacturers and importers.
Did you have any encounters with the European market surveillance authorities? Let me know what your experience was.
Update list European harmonized standards for machinery
Today, the European Commission published an update of the list of European harmonized standards that machinery manufacturers may use to prove CE compliance with the Machinery Directive 98/37/EC.
This updated list is of importance to machinery manufacturers that have used European harmonized standards to prove CE compliance. When you have applied standards which have been updated by this list, you need to re-evaluate your machinery against the updated standard and update your Declaration of Conformity.
The updated list of standards can be found here or our CE Marking Library.
Update list European harmonized standards for ATEX equipment

Today, the European Commission published an update of the list of European harmonized standards that
manufacturers of ATEX equipment (equipment used in potentially explosive atmospheres) may use it to prove CE compliance with the ATEX directive 94/9/EC.
This updated list is of importance to manufacturers of ATEX equipment that have used European harmonized standards to prove CE compliance. When you have applied standards that have been updated by this list, you need to re-evaluate your equipment against the updated standard and update your Declaration of Conformity.
The updated list of standards can be found here or in our CE Marking Library.
More on the ATEX Directive.