What is CE Marking?

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Summary:

The CE marking is a conformity marking consisting of the letters "CE", and taking the form as shown here. CE is an abbreviation for 'Conformité Européenne', French for 'European Conformity'.

The CE marking symbolizes that a product it is affixed to is in conformity with all relevant essential requirements, and that the product compliance has been established using the appropriate conformity assessment procedure(s). The ‘essential requirements’ refer, among other things, to safety, public health and consumer protection.

CE marking is obligatory for any product covered by one or more of the so-called European ‘New Approach Directives’. Without the CE marking, these products are not allowed to be placed or to be put into service in the European Economic Area. In this regard, the CE marking sometimes is called a ‘trade passport’, because like carrying a passport when entering a country, the CE Marking is required for market access.

The CE marking applies to products placed in the market or put into service in the European Economic Area, and only for certain product groups or product aspects. Thus in order to determine whether the CE marking applies, two things need to be investigated:

A) Is the product going to be placed in the market or put into service in one of the countries where the CE marking is obligatory?

B) Is the product covered by the scope and field of application of one or more of the European New Approach Directives (and the national laws and regulations of the countries of the EEA that transpose these directives)?

Please also note the following misunderstandings about CE marking:

1.The CE marking is not a quality-mark. First, it refers to the safety rather than to the quality of a product. Second, CE marking is mandatory for the product it applies to, whereas most quality markings are voluntary.

2. A product may not be affixed with the CE marking, unless it is covered by one or more of the New Approach Directives, and the product complies with the requirements and conformity assessment procedures of the Directive(s). The CE marking of products which do not need to be CE marked is not allowed, and liable to prosecution.

3. CE marking cannot be compared with certification marks of third party certification bodies (for example GS-mark). In the European markets, these marks are voluntary, while the CE marking is obligatory. In other words, obtaining the CE marking for a product is the first priority, while other certifications like GS etc, can be of later concern.

4. Many people use the term "CE mark". Initially, this was the phrase used to indicate this conformity marking. However, "CE mark" was officially replaced by the term "CE marking" in 1993. Thus, it is better to speak of "CE marking"

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