Standards for the EMC directive

Directive 2014/30/EU has regulated the electromagnetic compatibility of electrical and electronic devices within the European Union since 29 March 2014. The directive defines the essential requirements for the electromagnetic compatibility of equipment so that it does not cause electromagnetic interferencethat could affect the operation of other devices, and is itself sufficiently protected against electromagnetic interference.

As a regulation of the so-called "New Legislative Framework"  the EMC directive defines only the essential requirements – detailed technical specifications for this are developed by the European standardisation organisations CEN and CENELEC in the scope 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’ , these products are presumed to conform to the essential health and safety requirements according to Annex I of the EMC Directive 2014/30/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 EMC Directive in the EU Official Journal

A publication of harmonised standards as references in the EU Official Journal for the EMC Directive occurs at irregular intervals by means of so-called implementing decisions, which amend the existing list of harmonised standards for Directive 2014/30/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 EMC directive, which contains the most important information as well as a link to the full text of the legal act.

The list of harmonized standards which give presumption of conformity for the directive on electromagnetic compatibility (2014/30/EU) was updated on 2020-05-18:

Official Journal of the EU: C/2020/3215
Publication Date: 2020-18-05
Legal basis: Directive on electromagnetic compatibilty (2014/30/EU)
NEU: 2 standards were published for the first time
Amended:2  - One entry has been amended (additions concerning additional amendments to EN 12895:2015), 1 standard now only gives presumption of conformity together with its newly published amendment (EN 61439-3:2012/AC:2019-04).
REMOVED (WITH TRANSITIONAL TIME: For 2 standards the removal from the Official Journal of the EU is announced as per 2021-11-18

Comments:

• Strictly speaking, this is an EU implementing decision (2020/660), which amends another EU implementing decision (2019/1326). The practically relevant consequence is the amendment of the standards that give presumption of conformity for the EMC Directive.
• EN 60947-4-1:2019: This standard has been newly included in the Official Journal, but the predecessor documents EN 60947-4-1:2010 and EN 60947-4-1:2010/A1:2012 have NOT been removed from the Official Journal or their removal has not been announced. This is a deviation from the usual procedure. It can be assumed that the predecessor documents will be removed from the Official Journal of the EU. Follow us on LinkedIn and stay up to date regarding what is happening in the Official Journal of the EU.