European Product Legislation

European Product Legislation consists of Directives and Regulations that aim to enable the free movement of goods in the European Union and more generally in the European Economic Area (EEA). Products that comply with the applicable Directives and/or Regulations are CE marked and therefore can be sold and used in all member states without any barriers.

The fundamental difference between Directives and Regulations is that Directives, once published in the Official Journal of the European Union, must be transposed by each Member State through a specific Decree. Instead, the Regulations are immediately valid in all states of the European Union upon their publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Products sold and purchased within the EEA must bear the CE marking, which certifies that the product meets all legal requirements for CE marking under the responsibility of the Manufacturer. This also applies to products manufactured in other countries and sold in the EEA.