Legislation
EU legislation in the EEI sector is important to ensure European-wide harmonisation of a set of essential health and safety and other public interest requirements for products placed on the market:
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directives
There are two main European Directives that apply to electrical and electronic equipment, the Low Voltage Directive (LVD) and the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive.
The legal instruments in this regard are:
- The Low Voltage (LVD) Directive 2014/35/EU.
- The Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive 2014/30/EU.
The Commission works to ensure that they are correctly and uniformly applied by:
- Holding regular meetings with EU countries
- Providing guidance documents
- Requesting and assessing harmonised standards in support of legislation
- Managing “safeguard clause procedures”
- Note: The decision to restrict the free movement of a CE marked product in case of substantial non-compliance usually invokes use of the safeguard clause procedure. For more see Blue Guide (2 MB)
- Follow-ups on requests from stakeholders
Radio Equipment Directive (RED)
In regard to radio equipment, the Commission provides clear requirements for radio receivers. The aim is to achieve a minimum level of performance, so as to contribute to an efficient use of the radio spectrum, together with clear obligations for manufacturers, importers and distributors.
The legal instrument in this regard is the Radio Equipment Directive (RED) 2014/53/EU (formerly the Radio Equipment and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE) Directive 1999/5/EC).
Energy Labelling of household appliances
- Legislation and Communications (255 kB)
Find out more on Energy Labelling of household appliances
Eco-design legislation
- Legislation and Communications (365 kB)
Find out more on Eco-design legislation
Office Equipment - Energy Star Programme
- Council Decision 2001/469/EC of 14 May 2001 concerning the conclusion on behalf of the European Community of the Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the European Community on the coordination of energy-efficient labelling programmes for office equipment
- Regulation (EC) No 2422/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on a Community energy efficiency labelling programme for office equipment
- Commission Decision 2003/168/EC of 11 March 2003 establishing the European Community Energy Star Board
Find out more on Office Equipment - Energy Star Programme
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)
General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) 2001/95/EC
- Directive 2001/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 December 2001 on general product safety
Find out more on General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) 2001/95/EC
General information on import rules
- Pre Arrival / Pre Departure Declarations
- Customs declaration
- The single administrative document (SAD)
- Temporary storage
- Single authorisation
Find out more on import rules in the Taxation and Customs Union website of the European Commission
Common guidance on the application of the Directives (LVD, EMCD and RED)
- Transitional arrangement for the EU Declaration of Conformity, for fixed-line terminal equipment, as a result of the new Radio Equipment Directive (214 kB)
- Date of applicability of the new LVD, EMCD and RED (107 kB)
- Supplementary guidance on LVD/EMCD/RED (combined equipment) (146 kB)
Regulation on accreditation and market surveillance
Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 on accreditation and market surveillance, which has been applicable from January 2010, foresees an enhanced coordination role for the Commission and additional Community support.
Improving the enforcement of EU legislation (market surveillance) remains a priority, in order to ensure fair competition, the protection of the health and safety of consumers and workers, and improved efficiency in the use of radio spectrum.
Industrial policy approach and competitiveness
Promoting the competitiveness of the EU electric and electronic engineering industries involves the implementation of the industrial policy approach in this sector. In particular, this relates to innovation, entrepreneurship, global and sustainable competitiveness, including an evaluation of EU competitiveness, and addressing market access by means of trade instruments.
EEI and international aspects
International activities are intended to help the industry face the challenges of globalisation. The Commission analyses the industrial policy of other countries and trade blocks and evaluates the likely economic impact on the sector.
EEI and innovation
The sector is highly innovative, especially in fields linked to information and communications technology (ITC), computing and mobile phones. Most innovation originates with the manufacturers in the sector. Appropriate follow-up is therefore needed, especially in the standardisation area. Read more on Innovation
EEI and standards
The European Commission contributes to the standardisation activities developed by the European Standardisation Organisations: the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN); the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC); and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) through specific financial means, such as grant agreements, etc.
Read more on Standards