You may have seen the letters ‘CE’ labeled on various products. They stand for ‘Conformité Européene’ which is in French language and means ‘European Conformity’. CE marking is a legal requirement for a lot of products. Products labeled with CE marking indicate that they have been assessed to satisfy European Union environmental, health, and safety requirements.

Purpose of CE Marking

CE marking is a basic indicator of the compliance of a product with EU (European Union) legislation. It indicates that:

• The manufacturer has assessed that products satisfy all EU legislative requirements
• The product meets the terms of EU legislations
• The product can be freely moved within the European market

So in short, the purpose of CE marking on a product is to indicate that the manufacturer, on his sole responsibility, is declaring conformity with the legal requirements that are compulsory to achieve CE marking. These include environmental, health, and safety requirements. CE marking also indicates that the product is valid/allowed to be sold in the European Economic Area (EEA).

CE is Not a Mark of Origin

CE marking states that the product has been thoroughly verified before being placed on the market. It does not by any means indicate that the product originated in the EEA. Through CE marking, the manufacturer simply confirms that the product has been assessed by a notified conformity assessment body.

Countries Requiring CE Marking

CE marking is a compulsory requirement in EU countries. Apart from those, it is also required by Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Norway, as well as among some other countries that are members of trading communities in Europe.

Manufacturer's Responsibility

If you are the manufacturer, it is your responsibility to:

• Complete the conformity assessment
• Set up a technical file
• Issue the EC declaration of conformity
• Label your product with CE marking

Furthermore, it is necessary to verify manufacturer’s documentation if you are importing a product from a country which is outside the EU and make sure that they have carried out all the necessary legal steps.

Not All Products Require CE Marking

It is important to note that not all products sold in EU require CE marking. It is only required for those products that fall under the scope of the European Commission New Approach Directives. If your product is outside the scope of the directives, then you must not affix CE marking to it.

What Products Need a CE Marking?

Wide range of products need CE marking, ranging from toys to electrical equipment and from medical devices to civil explosives. These products fall under at least one Directive that determines the particular requirements that the product must satisfy in order for it to be CE marked. Some other products include machine safety equipment, body protective gear, gas-fuel-fired equipment, building materials, as well as simple pressure vessels. A document showing that a specific product meets the required standards is compulsory if you want to label it with CE mark.

Items that do not require CE marking include:

• Pharmaceuticals
• Chemicals
• Cosmetics and foodstuffs, etc.