Using CE Marking

Many products need to bear the CE mark in order for it to be legal to sell them in the European Economic Area.

There are 27 countries in the EU. These are Austria, Bulgaria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Germany, France, Hungary, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Malta, Portugal, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Spain, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK.

In order to legally sell goods such as electrical items in any of these countries they must be properly checked for safety and bear the CE Marking emblem to prove that they are safe to be sold.

Some products which present little risk can be checked by the manufacturer who can then complete a declaration of conformity and apply the CE mark to their product themselves.

Products that are more complex and present more risk need to be checked by an independent third party and can only be declared safe for use by that person.

All products that need EU approval must have a Declaration of Conformity (DoC). This contains all the relevant information required by EU law such as the name and address of the manufacturer, the identification number of the company that certified the product, a signature and European standards and performance data.

More and more countries are expected to join the EU in the near future and the CE mark is often referred to as 'the passport to Europe' as products which do not bear the CE mark cannot be sold in the European market. Due to the growth of the EU many more countries are now looking for reliable bodies who can carry out CE marking checks for their products. The mark is also well respected in the US and Canada, although not a legal requirement.

There are 20 groups of products which must be CE marked before they can be exported to Europe. These include but are not limited to electrical equipment, products which use gas, explosives, electrical equipment, hot water boilers, construction products, medical devices, machinery, radio and telecoms equipment, scales, pressure equipment, boats and toys.

There are many regulations for these various products and the process can be overwhelming for those who are not professionally qualified to carry out checks. It is advisable to find an authorised representative that can explain the requirements and help with paperwork.

For more information about CE Marking visit cemarkingassociation.co.uk

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For more information about CE Marking visit cemarkingassociation.co.uk