What the Commission is doing

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
  • Go to LVD Directive page
  • Go to EMC Directive page

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).

Go to Radio Equipment Directive Page

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.

• Study on the Competitiveness of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Industry

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