EUROPA

Summaries of EU legislation

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Technical harmonisation

The harmonisation of the existing technical standards in the Member States is essential to eliminate a large number of obstacles to Community trade in goods. In the past, each Member State imposed different technical specifications for all industrial products. However, differences between national technical regulations inevitably impede the free movement of goods within the single market.
Technical harmonisation at European level therefore guarantees both genuine free movement of industrial products and a high level of safety for consumers and users of these products.

• GENERAL PRINCIPLES
  • New approach
    • A new approach to technical harmonisation
    • Enhancing the implementation of the New Approach Directives
    • Product safety: general rules
    • Marketing of products - CE conformity marking
    • The precautionary principle
  • Mutual recognition
    • The mutual recognition principle in the single market
    • National technical regulations and free movement of goods
    • Notification of national measures derogating from the principle of the free movement of goodsArchives
  • Standardisation
    • European standards for 2020
    • The role of standardisation in Europe
    • The role of European standardisation in the framework of European policies and legislation
    • Integration of environmental aspects into European standardisation
    • Financing of European standardisation
    • Information procedures: technical standards and regulations and regulations on information society services
• SECTORS HARMONISED IN LINE WITH THE NEW APPROACH
  • Toys
    • The safety of toys
    • Toy safetyArchives
    • Phthalate-containing soft PVC toys and childcare articlesArchives
  • Machines
    • Machinery
    • Cableways for the carriage of passengers
    • Personal protective equipment
    • Lifts
    • Equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres
  • Pressure equipment
    • Simple pressure vessels
    • Pressure equipment
    • Road safety: transportable pressure equipmentArchives
  • Medical devices
    • Medical devices
    • Active implantable medical devices
    • In vitro diagnostic medical devices
  • Electrical and electronic equipment and gas appliances
    • Hot-water boilers
    • Appliances burning gaseous fuels
    • Ecodesign requirements for fluorescent lamps, for high intensity discharge lamps, and for their ballasts
    • Electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits
    • Electromagnetic compatibility of electrical and electronic apparatus
  • Information and telecommunication
    • Standardisation: information technology and telecommunications
    • Radio and telecommunications terminal equipment
  • Air Traffic
    • Harmonisation of civil aviation requirements and procedures
  • Rail Traffic
    • Railway safety
    • Interoperability of the rail system within the EU
    • Interoperability of the trans-European high-speed rail systemArchives
    • Interoperability of the conventional rail systemArchives
  • Maritime safety
    • Maritime safety: marine equipment
    • Safety rules and standards for passenger ships
  • Boats
    • Recreational craft
    • Technical requirements for inland waterway vessels
  • Metrology
    • Non-automatic weighing instruments
    • Measuring instruments
  • Explosives and pyrotechnic articles
    • Approval of explosives intended for civilian use
    • Placing of pyrotechnic articles on the market
  • Materials used outdoors
    • Noise emission by equipment used outdoors