In your daily life, while using and handling items such as mobile phones, music players, toys, cables, and other electronic equipment or machines, you might have noticed two letters, CE, on these products. Forasmuch as this is a mark applicable to products traded within the European Economic Area (EEA, the 27 Member States of the European Union [EU] and 3 countries of the European Free Trade Association [EFTA]: Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), consumers living in these areas may be familiar with it as it can be found in almost every product. But yet many people may wonder why it is applied to products or what does it serve for.

1. CE Marking
www.pecb.org

2. In your daily life, while using and handling items such as mobile phones, music players, toys, cables, and other
electronic equipment or machines, you might have noticed two letters, CE, on these products. Forasmuch as
this is a mark applicable to products traded within the European Economic Area (EEA, the 27 Member States
of the European Union [EU] and 3 countries of the European Free Trade Association [EFTA]: Norway, Iceland
and Liechtenstein), consumers living in these areas may be familiar with it as it can be found in almost every
product. But yet many people may wonder why it is applied to products or what does it serve for.
What is the CE marking?
The CE marking (former EC mark) is a generic mark used in the European Union (EU), which is used to indicate
that the product conforms with relevant EU directives and meets requirements in the EU for product safety,
and allows it to freely circulate within the European market (also known as the European Economic Area.)
The letters “CE” are an abbreviation of a French phrase, "Conformité Européene," which in English stands for
“European Conformity”
The CE marking logo does not simply consist of two initials “CE”; it has been technically drawn and, in cases
where, the logo is reduced or enlarged, the original proportions must be respected.
If you pay attention to the logo, you will note that the C and E are not formed by perfect semi-circles, i.e. the
top and bottom arms extend one square beyond the semi-circles, and the middle arm of the E stops one
square short.
The use of CE marking
The CE marking demonstrates the product’s compliance with EU legislation regarding safety, health and
environmental protection. By affixing the CE marking (or logo) on a product, the manufacturer declares that
the product conforms to all necessary requirements of the European Commission directives applicable to that
specific product. For instance, the CE mark on an electrical toy shows that the product complies with both
Toy Directive and the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive. If the product falls under the scope of any
other directive, i.e. Low Voltage Directive, the CE mark also indicates compliance to that directive.
Not all products are required to obtain CE marking, only those that fall under one or more EC directives which
determine the specific requirements that the product must meet in order to be CE marked.
Some product categories that require CE marking include: radio and telecommunications terminal equipment
(Directive 1999/05/EC), medical devices (Directive EEC 93/42), machinery (Directive 2006/42/EC), lifts
(Directive 95/16/EC), personal protective equipment (Directive 89/686/EEC), toy safety (Directive 2009/48/
EC), refrigeration appliances (Directive 96/57/EC), etc.
Benefits of CE marking
The CE marking plays the role of a passport, which allows manufacturers to freely circulate their products
throughout the EEA. Without getting into trouble to adapt their products to specific requirements of every
importing country (within the EEA), according to their national regulations, the manufacturer now has only one
set of requirements and procedures in manufacturing a product.
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3. Six basic steps to help manufacturers to CE mark their products
The CE marking is a requirement of the European Union, but it doesn’t mean that only products designed or
manufactured in this area need to comply with this requirement. Especially, non-EU manufacturers intending
to trade their products in the European market are obliged to ensure compliance and have their products CE
marked.
As the CE marking is a mean through which the manufacturer declares that its product complies with the
relevant legislative requirements and conforms that the necessary assessments have been completed, the
whole responsibility falls under the responsibility of the manufacturer.
The steps of CE marking process:
1. Identify the directives and harmonized standards applicable to the product
2. Verify the product-specific requirements
3. Identify whether an independent conformity assessment is required from a Notified Body (authorized third party)
4. Test the product and check its conformity to the EU legislation (Conformity Assessment Procedure)
5. Draw up and keep available the technical documentation required by the directives
6. Affixation of the CE marking to your product and EC Declaration of Conformity
Reference: www.ec.europa.eu/CEmarking
Conclusion
Different countries have different regulations, requirements and legal restrictions regarding to specific
products, which complicate importing and exporting of products in certain countries. In order to simplify these
procedures, the European Union developed a new approach to ensure the free movement of products within
the European market. This included the revision of legislation for health, safety and environmental product
restrictions and development of common rules for the affixation of the CE marking to products.
PECB (Professional Evaluation and Certification Board) is a personnel certification body for a wide range of
professional standards including Risk Management, Quality Management (9001), Medical Devices Quality
Management (ISO 13485), Environmental Management (ISO 14001), Occupational Health and Safety (OHSAS
18001), IT Service Management (ISO 20000), Food Safety (ISO 22000), Business Continuity (ISO 22301),
Social Responsibility (ISO 26000), Information Security (ISO 27001), and Supply Chain Security (ISO 28000).
PECB offers training and certification services to professionals who want to gain a comprehensive knowledge
in any of these international standards, project managers or consultants wanting to prepare and support
an organization in the implementation and staff involved in the implementation of any of these international
standards, and auditors wanting to perform and lead certification audits.
Lead Auditor, Lead Implementer and Master are three certification schemes accredited by ANSI ISO/IEC
17024.
Narta Voca is the Heath, Safety and Environment (HSE) Product Manager at PECB. She is in charge of
developing and maintaining training courses related to HSE. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate
to contact her at hse@pecb.org.
For further information, please visit www.pecb.org/en/training.
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