CE Marking

What is the CE marking?

The CE marking (former EC mark) is a mark used to indicate that the product conforms with relevant EU directives and meets requirements in the EU for product safety, and allows it to freely circulate within the European market (also known as the European Economic Area.)

The letters “CE” are an abbreviation of the French phrase, "Conformité Européene," which in English stands for “European Conformity” The CE marking logo does not simply consist of two initials “CE”; it has been technically drawn and, in cases where, the logo is reduced or enlarged, the original proportions must be respected. If you pay attention to the logo, you will note that the C and E are not formed by perfect semi-circles, i.e. the top and bottom arms extend one square beyond the semi-circles, and the middle arm of the E stops one square short. 

The use of CE marking

The CE marking demonstrates the product’s compliance with EU legislation regarding safety, health and environmental protection. By affixing the CE marking (or logo) on a product, the manufacturer declares that the product conforms to all necessary requirements of the European Commission directives applicable to that specific product. For instance, the CE mark on an electrical toy shows that the product complies with both Toy Directive and the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive. If the product falls under the scope of any other directive, i.e. Low Voltage Directive, the CE mark also indicates compliance to that directive. 

Not all products are required to obtain CE marking, only those that fall under one or more EC directives which determine the specific requirements that the product must meet in order to be CE marked.

Some product categories that require CE marking include: radio and telecommunications terminal equipment (Directive 1999/05/EC), medical devices (Directive EEC 93/42), machinery (Directive 2006/42/ EC), lifts (Directive 95/16/EC), personal protective equipment (Directive 89/686/EEC), toy safety (Directive 2009/48/EC), refrigeration appliances (Directive 96/57/EC), etc.

Benefits of CE marking

The CE marking plays the role of a passport, which allows manufacturers to freely circulate their products throughout the EEA. Without getting into trouble to adapt their products to specific requirements of every importing country (within the EEA), according to their national regulations, the manufacturer now has only one set of requirements and procedures in manufacturing a product.

Six basic steps to help manufacturers to CE mark their products

The CE marking is a requirement of the European Union, but it doesn’t mean that only products designed or manufactured in this area need to comply with this requirement. Especially, non-EU manufacturers intending to trade their products in the European market are obliged to ensure compliance and have their products CE marked. 

As the CE marking is a mean through which the manufacturer declares that its product complies with the relevant legislative requirements and conforms that the necessary assessments have been completed, the whole responsibility falls under the manufacturer. 

The six steps of CE marking process are: 

1. Identify the directives and harmonized standards applicable to the product
2. Verify the product-specific requirements
3. Identify whether an independent conformity assessment is required from a Notified Body (authorized third party) 
4. Test the product and check its conformity to the EU legislation (Conformity Assessment Procedure)
5. Draw up and keep available the technical documentation required by the directives
6. Affixation of the CE marking to your product and EC Declaration of Conformity 

Reference: www.ec.europa.eu/CEmarking

Conclusion

Different countries have different regulations, requirements and legal restrictions regarding to specific products, which complicate importing and exporting of products in certain countries. In order to simplify these procedures, the European Union developed a new approach to ensure the free movement of products within the European market. This included the revision of legislation for health, safety and environmental product restrictions and development of common rules for the affixation of the CE marking to products.

How Can PECB Help?

PECB (Professional Evaluation and Certification Board) is a personnel certification body for a wide range of professional standards including Risk Management (ISO 31000), Quality Management (ISO 9001), Medical Devices Quality Management (ISO 13485), Environmental Management (ISO 14001), Occupational Health and Safety (OHSAS 18001), IT Service Management (ISO 20000), Food Safety (ISO 22000), Business Continuity (ISO 22301), Social Responsibility (ISO 26000), Information Security (ISO 27001), and Supply Chain Security (ISO 28000).

PECB offers training and certification services to professionals who want to gain a comprehensive knowledge in any of these international standards, project managers or consultants wanting to prepare and support an organization in the implementation and staff involved in the implementation of any of these international standards, and auditors wanting to perform and lead certification audits.

About the Author

Narta Voca is the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Product Manager at PECB. She is in charge of developing and maintaining training courses related to HSE. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at support@pecb.com.

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