The European Union & the EC Directives

The European Union (EU) has a system to protect the health of consumers and workers, as well as the conditions of the merchandise and the environment. Under this "New Approach", EC Directives were created to ensure conformity to safety and quality standards throughout the EU and some members of the European Free Trade Association.

In 1994, theThe European Union (EU) has a system to protect the health of
consumers and workers, as well as the conditions of the merchandise
and the environment. Under this "New Approach", EC Directives were
created to ensure conformity to safety and quality standards
throughout the EU and some members of the European Free Trade
Association. In 1994, the EU/EC and the EFTA joined to create the
European Economic Area (EEA), the largest economic region
worldwide. Participating members include Austria, Belgium, Denmark,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,
Luxemburg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the
United Kingdom. Most of the legislation and procedures are now in
place and the goal of "harmonization" is, for all practical
purposes,complete. Furthermore, numerous product safety, machinery
and EMC and Telecommunication Services (EMC) standards have been
published to support the directives' essential requirements. The
standardization process is evolutionary, with established
procedures to cover all compliance aspects. When European Standards
(ENs) exist, it is always recommended to use them to ensure
conformity with the European Directives. In some cases non-EN
Standards may be considered but must be justified. Use of
non-European alternatives may be indefensible in court and could
actually place the product and manufacturer in a position of non-
conformity. Only through harmonized European Standards, combined
with a unified assessment process and acceptance by the
participating countries, redundant testing and product submission
to the individual member countries are eliminated. TÜV
Rheinland, headquartered in Cologne, Germany, has earned an
excellent reputation with more than a century of testing and
certification experience. TÜV Rheinland has offices in more
than 30 countries, including many in the U.S.

EU/EC and the EFTA joined to create the European Economic Area (EEA), the largest economic region worldwide. Participating members include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Most of the legislation and procedures are now in place and the goal of "harmonization" is, for all practical purposes,complete. Furthermore, numerous product safety, machinery and EMC and Telecommunication Services (EMC) standards have been published to support the directives' essential requirements. The standardization process is evolutionary, with established procedures to cover all compliance aspects.

When European Standards (ENs) exist, it is always recommended to use them to ensure conformity with the European Directives. In some cases non-EN Standards may be considered but must be justified. Use of non-European alternatives may be indefensible in court and could actually place the product and manufacturer in a position of non- conformity. Only through harmonized European Standards, combined with a unified assessment process and acceptance by the participating countries, redundant testing and product submission to the individual member countries are eliminated.

TÜV Rheinland, headquartered in Cologne, Germany, has earned an excellent reputation with more than a century of testing and certification experience. TÜV Rheinland has offices in more than 30 countries, including many in the U.S.