Primer on Standards - OEK - OVE

and as stated above, it only applies to products that are governed by at least oneof the New Approach Directives. Nevertheless, it must be stressed that it iscompulsory to affix it on all products for which one of these Directives applies. Ifa product is covered by more than one New Approach Directive, the CE Markingsymbolyzes that the product conforms to all New Approach Directives applyingto it.Harmonized Standards and the Presumption of ConformityThe main feature of harmonized standards is the fact that they grant presumptionof conformity with European legislation and consequently the product can enterthe whole European market without the legal obligation to show any otherequivalent marks or guarantees.Presumption of conformity is the legal principle relating to harmonized standardsthat explains the relationship between the legislative and the standardizationprocesses. Thanks to this interaction, the European Commission and the EuropeanStandards Bodies, CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, cooperate in order to produce harmonizedstandards. A contractual relationship, broadly known as a mandate, is thendeveloped stipulating that the Standards Body will produce standards (electrotechnicalstandards in the case of CENELEC) that will provide a technical solutionor a technical interpretation complying with the essential requirements definedin a given New Approach Directive.When the standard is completed and the conditions of the Commission's mandateare met, the Commission publishes the reference of the standard in the OfficialJournal of the European Communities, OJEC. Once this notice is published, theEuropean Standard, now called European Harmonized Standard, will providepresumption of conformity. A manufacturer using a harmonized standard in thedesign and/or production process of a product is presumed to be in conformitywith the corresponding essential requirements set by the European Directives.The application of harmonized standards, which grant presumption of conformity,remains voluntary in the field of New Approach Directives. Consequently, a productmay be manufactured directly on the basis of the essential requirements. The keyis always this: Applying a standard is voluntary; complying with the law is mandatory.Introduction to the Basic Principles of the CE MarkingThe CE Marking may certainly be called the passport to Europe for products. CE-Marking a product that falls under one of the New Approach Directives is not anoption for the manufacturer, it is simply required by law. All manufacturers,Uncovering the mysteries of standardization in Europe 39