According to The Guardian, based on industry calls, the UK government will indefinitely retain the use of the EU's product safety mark "CE". This is the latest concession in a series of proposed reform changes after Brexit.
#01 The UK reserves the use of the EU "CE" logo indefinitely
The UK government announced on August 1st that it is committed to reducing the burden on businesses and helping economic growth by eliminating barriers and red tape, and has announced an indefinite extension of the period for businesses to use the "CE" logo.
The EU uses the "CE" (Conformit é Europe é enne) logo to certify safety standards for various items, including appliances, medical devices, toys, and more. The UK Conformity Assessment (UKCA) mark is a new UK product mark that was originally planned to be used for certain products in the UK market after the transition period, including medical devices.
Originally, after the end of 2024, the new UK certification mark "UKCA" will replace "CE" within the British Isle of Great Britain, but the deadline for the use of the "CE" mark has been repeatedly extended.
The UK Department of Commerce and Trade stated that the decision to retain "CE" has been discussed in the industry and referred to as an "important demand for businesses". The department believes that this will help to "reduce the burden, promote UK economic growth" and avoid drastic changes after the introduction of the "UKCA" logo in December 2024.
British companies have requested the government to extend the use of the "CE" mark. According to the report, companies believe that requiring manufacturers to comply with the new UK standards may overlap with EU standards, which could significantly increase their costs in the context of post pandemic recovery and high inflation.
According to reports, the previous plan to implement the "UKCA" logo was aimed at enabling the UK to better control its product specifications while maintaining high safety standards. Due to the fact that the "UKCA" logo is not recognized by the European Union, it is only applicable to the British Isle of Great Britain region, but manufacturers can choose to use the "UKCA" logo or "CE" logo when selling products in that region.
# 02CE标志
The CE mark is a mandatory certification mark in the EU market. Whether it is a product produced by internal enterprises in the EU or products produced in other countries, in order to circulate freely in the EU market, it is necessary to affix the CE mark to indicate that the product complies with the basic requirements of the EU Directive on New Methods of Technical Coordination and Standardization. This is a mandatory requirement of EU law for products.
CE certification is a product safety mark certification, considered as a passport for manufacturers to open and enter the European market. CE certification is the EU's certification on safety control, ensuring the most basic safety guarantee for products, which is limited to basic safety requirements that do not endanger human, animal, and goods safety, rather than general quality requirements.
#03 Products that require CE certification
In order to meet compliance requirements and safeguard the legitimate business rights and interests of goods in Europe, the following products require EU CE certification:
Power supply category: communication power supply, charger, display power supply, LCD power supply, UPS, etc;
Lighting fixtures: chandeliers, track lights, courtyard lights, portable lights, tube lights, LED street lights, LED spotlights, LED bubble lights, light strings, desk lights, grille lights, aquarium lights, street lights, energy-saving lights, T8 tubes, LED tubes, LED lamps, etc;
Household appliances: fans, electric kettles, speakers, televisions, mice, vacuum cleaners, etc;
Electronics: earplugs, routers, mobile phone batteries, laser pens, vibration sticks, etc;
Communication products: telephones, wired and wireless main and auxiliary phones, fax machines, answering machines, data machines, data interface cards, and other communication products;
Wireless product categories: Bluetooth BT products, wireless keyboards, wireless mice, wireless readers and writers, wireless transceivers, wireless microphones, remote controls, wireless network devices, wireless image transmission systems, and other low-power wireless products;
Wireless communication category: 2G mobile phones, 3G mobile phones, 3.5G mobile phones, DECT mobile phones (1.8G, 1.9G frequency band), wireless walkie talkies, etc;
Mechanical categories: gasoline engines, welding machines, CNC drilling machines, tool grinders, lawn mowers, washing equipment, bulldozers, elevators, drilling machines, dishwashers, water treatment equipment, gasoline welding machines, printing machinery, woodworking machinery, rotary drilling machines, lawn mowers, snow sweepers, excavators, printing machines, printers, cutting machines, road rollers, leveling machines, irrigation machines, straighteners, food machinery, lawn machines, etc;
Medical devices and toys, etc