CE Marking Certification

The CE marking (an acronym for the French "Conformite Europeenne") certifies that a product has met health, safety, and environmental needs, which make sure consumer safety. Manufacturers in the European Union (EU) and abroad must meet CE marking requirements where applicable in order to market their products in Europe. For a list of countries that have need of the CE marking. A manufacturer who has gone through the conformity assessment procedure, may attach the CE marking to the product. With the CE marking, the product may be marketed throughout the EU. CE marking now provides product access to 32 countries with a population of nearly 500 million.

Unfortunately, there is no comprehensive list of the products that have need of a CE marking. Thus, it is the manufacturer's accountability to define if a product requires a CE marking. The "New Approach Directives" are documents that contain the legislation issued by the European Commission on the necessities that need to be met and procedures that must be followed in order for a specific product to be CE marked for sales in the EU.

In order to define if your product needs a CE marking, you should look in each directive that you judge as related to your product. Our Guide to navigating the CE marking procedure is organized by directives: CE Marking Guide. Under each directive, we clarify the route to CE marking certification step-by-step and in one place.

Some products need conformance to more than one directive. For example, the Safety of Machinery directive, the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) directive, and the Low Voltage Equipment directive may all apply to one product.

Principles of the CE Marking

• Only the manufacturer or his authorized representative shall attach the CE marking.
• The CE marking shall be attached only to products to which its attaching is provided for by specific Community harmonization legislation, and shall not be attached to any other product.
• The CE marking shall be the only marking which attests the conformity of the product with the applicable necessities of the relevant Community harmonization legislation provided that for its affixing.
• The affixing to a product of markings, signs or writings which are likely to mislead third parties regarding the meaning or form of the CE marking shall be prohibited. Any other marking may be affixed to the product make available the visibility, legibility and meaning of the CE marking is not thereby impaired.
• Member States shall make sure the correct implementation of the regime governing the CE marking and take appropriate action in the event of unsuitable use of the marking. Member States shall also provide for fines for infringements, which may include criminal sanctions for serious contraventions. Those penalties shall be proportionate to the seriousness of the offence and constitute an effective deterrent against incorrect use.

Benefits of CE Marking Certification

There are a major number of advantages of CE marking for the manufacturer and for the customer. In particular:

• CE marking offers manufacturers with market access to the whole European Economic Area, since countries within this area may not confine the placing on the market of products bearing the CE marking.
• It is a guarantee for the manufacturer that the product is safe for customers
• It may significantly diminish damage claims and liability premiums.
• It guarantees that the product imitates to the regulations in the exact directive(s)