Guidelines for CE marking of electro-discharge machines

Machinery and equipment which are bound by specific European directives cannot be placed on the single market unless they bear CE marking. CE marking affixed on a product indicates that the product complies with all relevant essential requirements (e.g. health and safety requirements) of the applicable directive(s).

However, market surveillance in the EU often fails to prevent the entry of non-compliant imported machinery into the internal market and/or the circulation of non-compliant European machinery in Europe. Machines not meeting essential health and safety standards threaten health and safety in the workplace and put workers’ lives in danger.

Moreover, manufacturers and suppliers who do not comply with European regulations benefit from reduced production costs and gain an unfair comparative advantage in the market.

This distorts competition and undermines the competitiveness of European manufacturers who invest a significant amount of their resources in the development of products with high safety standards meeting European regulations.

Cases of non-compliance may occur due to lack of information (or misinformation) of producers who fail to meet the relevant standards or due to deliberate infringements by producers who want to unfairly cut their production costs.
The shortcomings of the systems need to be urgently addressed. Firstly, better communication towards economic operators on EU regulations, standards and conformity assessment procedures is required in order to improve ex-ante mechanisms designed to ensure compliance with EU law. Secondly, exposit mechanisms (market surveillance) should be strengthened.

CECIMO believes that effective market surveillance requires close cooperation between economic operators, customs authorities and surveillance bodies.

In line with this view, the present guide aims to contribute to the ongoing work led by the European Commission to enhance market surveillance in the internal market, under the New Legislative Framework.

We hope that this guide will be a valuable source of information for manufacturers, sellers and users of machine tools as well as customs authorities to detect non-compliant products in the internal market. Enhanced functioning market surveillance will contribute to creating a more secure working environment for workers and a more competitive European Industry.

Use the link below to download the CE Guidelines on electro-discharge machines.