CE mark

What is CE marking?

You see the symbol every day and recognise it at a glance: the CE label. CE is the abbreviation for the French term ‘Conformité Européenne’. It literally means ‘in accordance with European regulations’.

CE marking shows that a product meets European safety, health and environmental requirements. This label is mandatory for about 30 different product groups: from construction products and toys to measuring instruments, cell phones, elevators, and more.

The requirements your product must meet are described in EU directives.

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What benefits does CE marking offer your company?

Are you marketing a product in the EEA? If so, there’s a good chance it needs to have a CE label. This label:

• proves that your product has been evaluated and complies with European safety, health, energy efficiency and environmental protection requirements;
• facilitates free trade within European member states;
• increases product safety for consumers and the environment;
• shows that your product has been tested according to European requirements and is suitable for its intended use.

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How to achieve CE marking

The following steps are critical when seeking to obtain a CE mark:

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• Check which European directives your product falls under: you can find an overview on the European Commission’s website.
  
• Identify what the directive’s requirements are: directives define the essential requirements your product must meet. For each directive, harmonised standards convert those essential requirements into technical requirements. If your product conforms to the harmonised standards, this leads to a ‘presumption of conformity’ with the essential requirements.
• Find the appropriate procedure to assess the conformity of your product: this procedure can be found in the guidelines applicable to your product.
• Test your product to verify that it meets the requirements of the relevant directives.
• Compile a technical file that demonstrates that your product complies with all the requirements of the directives.
• Draft an EU declaration of conformity: affix the CE mark to your product in a visible, legible and indelible manner.

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