Standards for the Radio Equipment Directive

Directive 2014/53/EU(the so-called Radio Equipment Directive, abbreviated to RED) has regulated the provision of radio equipment within the European Union since 22 May 2014. The directive's essential requirements are protection of people and domestic animals against hazards arising from radio equipment, ensuring interference-free operation in conjunction with other devices (EMC) and ensuring efficient use of the radio spectrum so as not to cause harmful interference.

Amendments made in the course of the delegated regulation (EU) 2022/30 also mean that the requirements of the RED regarding cybersecurity are now more stringent: radio equipment connected to the internet must not have a ‘harmful effect on the network or its functioning’ and must guarantee ‘protection against fraud’ and the protection of personal data.

As a regulation of the so-called "New Legislative Framework"  the RED defines only the essential requirements – detailed technical specifications for this are developed by the European standardisation organisations CEN/CENELEC and ETSI (the European Telecommunications Standards Institute) within the framework of harmonised standards.

If a manufacturer's products subsequently comply with harmonised standards (or parts thereof) ‘the references of which have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union’ , then these products are presumed to conform to the essential requirements according to Article 3 of the Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU. By affixing the CE marking, the manufacturer declares that the product meets the applicable requirements and is the visible consequence of a whole process that includes the conformity assessment in the broader sense.
 

Harmonised standards for the RED Directive in the EU Official Journal

A publication of harmonised standards as references in the EU Official Journal for the RED  occurs at irregular intervals by means of so-called implementing decisions, which amend the existing list of harmonised standards for Directive 2014/53/EU.

Within the framework of such a decision standards created on behalf of the Commission are added. This can be done by adding new standards that are listed in the EU Official Journal for the first time, or by including direct successor documents if the predecessor standard no longer corresponds to the state of the art and had to be adapted to changed requirements. An ad hoc adjustment at short notice can also be made via amending standards, which only include a targeted adjustment of a specific section of the ‘basic standard’.

When new successor standards are adopted, the predecessors are removed from the EU Official Journal after a transitional period. This is currently 18 months in order to give manufacturers sufficient time to adapt to the changed safety and health requirements.
 

Updates in the Official Journal

Below we have listed the implementing decisions with amended standard data for the Radio Equipment directive, which contains the most important information as well as a link to the full text of the legal act.