CE Marking
The CE mark or formerly EC mark, is a mandatory conformity marking for certain products sold within the European Economic Area (EEA) since 1985.[1]The CE marking is found even on products sold outside the EEA, because they are either products manufactured in the EEA and have been exported, or they were manufactured in other nations which have EEA as a prime market. This makes the CE marking recognizable worldwide even to people who are not familiar with the European Economic Area.
CE marking is mandatory for certain product groups within the European Economic Area (EEA; the 28 member states of the EU plus EFTA countries Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, plus Turkey). The manufacturer of products made within the EEA and the importer of goods made in other countries must ensure that CE-marked goods conform to standards
CE Marking on a product is a manufacturer’s declaration that the product complies with the essential requirements of the relevant European health, safety and environmental protection legislation, in practice by many of the so-called Product Directives.
There are certain rules underlying the procedure to affix the marking:
- Products subject to certain EC directives providing for CE marking have to be affixed with the CE marking before they can be placed on the market.
- Manufacturers have to check, on their sole responsibility, which EU directives they need to apply for their products.
- The product may be placed on the market only if it complies with the provisions of all applicable directives and if the conformity assessment procedure has been carried out accordingly.
- The manufacturer draws up an EC declaration of conformity and affixes the CE marking on the product.
- If stipulated in the directive(s), an authorized third party (Notified Body) must be involved in the conformity assessment procedure.
- If the CE marking is affixed on a product, it can bear additional markings only if they are of different significance, do not overlap with the CE marking and are not confusing and do not impair the legibility and visibility of the CE marking.