The CE Marking Directive 93/68/EEC

It is very common when searching for guidance on CE Marking to come across ‘The CE Marking Directive’ (93/68/EEC) and it often causes confusion, as it’s purpose is not overly clear. Essentially it was introduced to amend existing Directives for them to include the requirement to affix the CE Mark. The Directives that were being amended were:

87/404/EEC (Simple Pressure Vessels)
88/378/EEC (Safety of Toys)
89/106/EEC (Construction Products)
89/336/EEC (Electromagnetic Compatibility)
89/392/EEC (Machinery)
89/686/EEC (Personal Protective Equipment)
90/384/EEC (Non-Automatic Weighting Instruments)
90/385/EEC (Active Implantable Medical Devices)
90/396/EEC (Appliances Burning Gaseous Fuels)
91/263/EEC (Telecommunications Terminal Equipment – Now known as the R&TTE)
92/42/EEC (New hot water boilers fired with liquid or gaseous fuels)
73/23/EEC (Electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits – Known as the Low Voltage Directive)

The Directive (93/68/EEC) details the specific changes to each individual directive in articles 2 to 13. The changes outline requirements of the CE mark, to be attached to a product in order to illustrate a presumption of conformity to the relevant Directives. The general amendments are summarised below:

Throughout the text the term EC mark was replaced by CE marking.
The CE mark on the product will offer a presumption of conformity with the relevant Directives.
If a member state establishes that a CE mark has been affixed unduly then the manufacturer or their authorised representative shall be obliged to make the product conform to the relevant directive. If non conformity ensues then the member state must take appropriate measures to restrict or prohibit the placing on the market of the product.
The CE conformity mark shall consist of the initials ‘CE’ as shown below:

If the mark is enlarged or reduced then it will remain in the same proportions and must not be less than 5mm in height.
No markings shall be used to deceive third parties, the CE mark must be visible and legible and not covered by any other markings.
The Declaration of Conformity must contain certain information.
The manufacturer must establish the technical documentation which he or their authorised representative in the community must keep at the disposal of the relevant national authorities for inspection purposes. This documentation must enable the conformity of the product to be assessed.

In conclusion The CE Marking Directive was responsible for the requirements of attaching a CE mark to product. However overtime the Directive is now fairly redundant as all of the Directives mentioned have either been superseded or amended to include the CE marking requirement (along with the details of affixing the CE mark itself). Needless to say all of the newer Directives & Regulation that have been introduced after 93/68/EEC was published include this information, so it will probably not be too long before this Directive becomes completely redundant.

If you need any assistance with affixing the CE Mark to your products, then please call our technical team on 01564 792349.