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EU Product Legislation Reference: Directives and Regulations That Apply to Your Product

Most EU compliance mistakes start with an incomplete list of the laws that apply to the product. This reference lists the main product directives and regulations with their legal numbers so you can scope a CE marking project or a technical file review.

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Legislation	Legal reference	What it covers	Marking or declaration
Low Voltage Directive (LVD)	2014/35/EU	Electrical equipment rated 50 to 1000 V AC or 75 to 1500 V DC	CE marking, EU declaration of conformity, internal production control
EMC Directive	2014/30/EU	Electromagnetic emissions and immunity of apparatus and fixed installations	CE marking, EU declaration of conformity
Radio Equipment Directive (RED)	2014/53/EU	Equipment that intentionally emits or receives radio waves	CE marking, notified body involvement possible
Machinery Directive	2006/42/EC	Machinery, interchangeable equipment, safety components	CE marking, declaration of conformity, technical file
Machinery Regulation	(EU) 2023/1230	Replaces the Machinery Directive, applies from 20 January 2027	CE marking, declaration of conformity
RoHS Directive	2011/65/EU	Restricted substances in electrical and electronic equipment	CE marking, declaration covers RoHS
ATEX Equipment Directive	2014/34/EU	Equipment and protective systems for explosive atmospheres	CE marking with Ex marking, notified body for higher categories
Pressure Equipment Directive (PED)	2014/68/EU	Pressure equipment above 0.5 bar maximum allowable pressure	CE marking, conformity assessment modules by category
Simple Pressure Vessels Directive	2014/29/EU	Series produced welded vessels for air or nitrogen	CE marking
Measuring Instruments Directive (MID)	2014/32/EU	Regulated measuring instruments such as meters	CE and M marking, notified body
Non-automatic Weighing Instruments Directive	2014/31/EU	Scales and weighing instruments	CE and M marking, notified body
Lifts Directive	2014/33/EU	Lifts and safety components for lifts	CE marking, notified body
Explosives for Civil Uses Directive	2014/28/EU	Explosives for civil use	CE marking, notified body
Pyrotechnic Articles Directive	2013/29/EU	Fireworks and other pyrotechnic articles	CE marking
Cableway Installations Regulation	(EU) 2016/424	Cableway installations and subsystems	CE marking
Personal Protective Equipment Regulation	(EU) 2016/425	PPE for professional and consumer use	CE marking, notified body for categories II and III
Gas Appliances Regulation	(EU) 2016/426	Appliances burning gaseous fuels and their fittings	CE marking, notified body
Toy Safety Directive	2009/48/EC	Products designed for children under 14 for play	CE marking
Medical Devices Regulation (MDR)	(EU) 2017/745	Medical devices and accessories	CE marking, notified body for most classes
In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR)	(EU) 2017/746	In vitro diagnostic medical devices	CE marking, notified body for most classes
Ecodesign Directive (framework)	2009/125/EC	Energy related products via implementing measures	CE marking and declaration under each measure
Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)	(EU) 2024/1781	Framework that repeals and replaces the Ecodesign Directive	Product specific delegated acts, digital product passport
Energy Labelling Regulation	(EU) 2017/1369	Energy label and product database for listed product groups	Label and EPREL registration
Construction Products Regulation (CPR)	(EU) 305/2011	Construction products covered by harmonised standards	CE marking and declaration of performance
Batteries Regulation	(EU) 2023/1542	Batteries throughout their life cycle, labelling, due diligence, carbon footprint	CE marking and labelling, phased application dates
General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR)	(EU) 2023/988	Consumer products not covered by specific harmonisation law	Safety obligations, traceability, no CE mark
Cyber Resilience Act (CRA)	(EU) 2024/2847	Products with digital elements, security by design and vulnerability handling	CE marking, phased application dates
Artificial Intelligence Act	(EU) 2024/1689	AI systems by risk class, high risk systems need conformity assessment	CE marking for high risk systems
REACH Regulation	(EC) No 1907/2006	Registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals, SVHC in articles	No CE mark, supply chain communication duties
CLP Regulation	(EC) No 1272/2008	Classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures	Label and safety data sheet
Persistent Organic Pollutants Regulation	(EU) 2019/1021	Ban and restriction of POPs in products	No CE mark, substance limits
WEEE Directive	2012/19/EU	Collection, recovery and producer responsibility for electrical equipment	Crossed out wheeled bin symbol, producer registration

General guidance only. Application dates, amendments and harmonised standards change, so confirm the consolidated text on EUR-Lex before issuing a declaration of conformity.

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How to use this reference

Start with what the product physically is and does: electrical, wireless, machinery, pressure, battery, software with connectivity. Search by keyword, note every row that matches, and carry that list into the EU declaration of conformity, which must cite every applicable act. Then check the harmonised standards listed in the Official Journal for each act, because applying them gives presumption of conformity. Export the filtered table to Excel and attach it to the technical file as the applicability analysis.

List every function, not only the main one
One declaration can cover several directives
Record the date the list was reviewed

Directives, regulations and why the difference matters

A directive must be transposed into national law by each member state, while a regulation applies directly and identically everywhere. The trend is toward regulations, such as the Machinery Regulation 2023/1230, the Batteries Regulation 2023/1542 and the Cyber Resilience Act 2024/2847. For manufacturers this reduces country by country variation but raises the bar on documentation, traceability and economic operator duties for importers and distributors.

Overlaps that surprise teams

A connected industrial controller can fall under LVD, EMC, RED, RoHS, the Machinery act when it is a safety component, and the Cyber Resilience Act at once. A battery powered tool adds the Batteries Regulation. REACH and CLP apply even when no CE marking exists, because they govern chemical content and communication. Build the applicability matrix once per product family and re-run it at each design change that adds radio, software update capability or a new substance.

Common mistakes

The most frequent errors are citing a superseded directive on the declaration, forgetting that GPSR is a fallback and not an addition for CE marked goods, and treating REACH as a one time check. Also confirm the legal manufacturer address and the authorised representative for non EU makers. Dates of application are phased for several of the newer regulations, so write down which obligations bind your product on the date you place it on the market.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does every product need CE marking?

No. CE marking is required only when an EU act that provides for it covers the product. Many goods fall outside every CE act and are governed by the General Product Safety Regulation, REACH and sector rules instead. Check the scope rows before assuming the mark is needed or forbidden.

Can one declaration of conformity cover several directives?

Yes. When several acts apply, a single EU declaration of conformity can cite all of them, provided each referenced act and the applicable harmonised standards are listed and the product meets every one of them.

What replaces the Machinery Directive?

Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 replaces Directive 2006/42/EC and applies from 20 January 2027. It adds cybersecurity and AI related safety aspects and clarifies the conformity assessment routes for high risk machinery.

Is this list complete?

It covers the main product laws a manufacturer meets but not sector rules such as tyre labelling, detergents or cosmetics. Use it as a starting point and confirm scope in the text of the act on EUR-Lex.

If product compliance data lives across ERP item masters and supplier portals, Netray can help build a read-only view that shows which items lack a current declaration.

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