CE marking is a  mark that indicates conformity with health, safety, and environmental protection standards for products sold within the European Economic Area (EEA), and it is also found on products sold outside the EEA that have been manufactured to EEA standards. The CE marking is the manufacturer’s declaration that the product meets EU standards for health, safety, and environmental protection, and may be sold freely in any part of the European Economic Area, irrespective of its country of origin.
CE is sometimes indicated as an abbreviation of “Conformité Européenne”  – French for “European Conformity- and the mark consists of the CE logo and, if applicable, the four digit identification number of the Notified Body involved in the conformity assessment procedure.

Countries requiring the CE Marking

CE marking is mandatory for certain product groups intended for sale within the European Union, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Turkey and (at least until the end of the Brexit transition period) the United Kingdom. The manufacturers of products made within these countries, and the importers of goods made in other countries, affirm that CE-marked goods conform to EU standards.

CE Marking Rules

The manufacturer of a product affixes the CE marking to it but has to take certain obligatory steps before the product can bear CE marking. The manufacturer must carry out a conformity assessment, set up a technical file, and sign a Declaration stipulated by the leading legislation for the product. The documentation has to be made available to authorities on request.
Importers of products have to verify that the manufacturer outside the EU has undertaken the necessary steps and that the documentation is available upon request. Importers should also make sure that contact with the manufacturer can always be established.
Distributors must be able to demonstrate to national authorities that they have acted with due care and they must have affirmation from the manufacturer or importer that the necessary measures have been taken.
If importers or distributors market the products under their own name, they take over the manufacturer’s responsibilities. In this case they must have sufficient information on the design and production of the product, as they will be assuming the legal responsibility when they affix the CE marking.

There are certain rules underlying the procedure to affix the marking:
Products subject to certain EU directives or EU regulations providing for CE marking have to be affixed with the CE marking before they can be placed on the market.
Manufacturers have to check, on their sole responsibility, which EU legislation they need to apply for their products.
The product may be placed on the market only if it complies with the provisions of all applicable directives and regulations and if the conformity assessment procedure has been carried out accordingly.
The manufacturer draws up an EU declaration of conformity or a declaration of performance (for Construction Products) and affixes the CE marking on the product.
If stipulated in the directive(s) or regulation(s), an authorized third party (Notified Body) must be involved in the conformity assessment procedure or in setting up a production quality system.
If the CE marking is affixed on a product, it can bear additional markings only if they are of different significance, do not overlap with the CE marking and are not confusing and do not impair the legibility and visibility of the CE marking.

CE Marking Advantages

Supporting trade with the EU and allowing your products in the countries of the European Economic Area (EEA).
Free circulation of products, as testing a product and obtaining CE mark in one country of (EEA) make it valid all around Europe without any re-testing, and accordingly saving manufacturers’ money.
Gaining Customers’ confidence and satisfaction by implementing the requirements indicating the product safety and reliability, therefore reducing the risk of customer dissatisfaction.