EU Glossary

Apparatus
In the EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) Directive, an "apparatus" is a finished product with an intrinsic function intended for the end user, and intended to be marketed in the European Union (EU) market as a single commercial unit. This term applies only to the EMC Directive.

CE Marking
The CE designation, French for "Conformité Européene", indicates that the marked product conforms to the relevant EU directives.

CE marking also means that products so marked can move freely within the EU without further national controls. Eventually, this "free movement" of goods will mean that goods without CE marking will be prohibited throughout the EU, except for certain clearly defined exceptions.

CEN
European Committee for Standardization (CEN) is a regional standards organization that develops standards (except electrical) for the EU and EFTA countries.

CENELEC
European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) is a regional standards organization that develops electrical standards for the EU and EFTA countries.

Certification
Procedure by which a third party gives written assurance that a product, process, or service conforms to specified requirements (in many cases self-certification is acceptable).

Competent Body (CB)
An organization which is assessed for competence to carry out certain functions, (e.g. testing, compilation of Technical Construction Files and/or test reports), and proving/certifying compliance with Directives. CB's are independent organizations which satisfy required criteria regarding technical competence, organization, available infrastructure, etc. CBs are recognized as being competent by the supervisory authorities of the EU member nations for certain areas (i.e. products and Directives).

Component
In the EMC Directive, any item that is used in the composition of an apparatus which is not in itself an apparatus with an intrinsic function intended for the final consumer. This term applies only to the EMC Directive.

Declaration of Conformity
Statement of a manufacturer declaring that a product, process, or service meets the requirement of the applicable directive(s).

Directives
Directives communicate the EU objectives to be achieved, detailing requirements for products, processes, and services, and require each member state to incorporate these objectives into national law within a given time frame. They leave the method of implementation, whether a primary or statutory law, open to each EU member. A Directive is the most common type of EU legislation.

EC
The European Community, an earlier term now replaced by EU (European Union); not to be confused with the European Commission, the executive branch of the EU.

EEA
The European Economic Area (EEA) is an 18 nation organization made up of the EU and EFTA countries.

EEC
European Economic Community, an earlier term now replaced by EU.

EFTA
European Free Trade Area, four western European nations. These are: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

EMC
Electromagnetic compatibility.

EN
European Standard (Euro-Norm), a technical document written by CEN or CENELEC.

EU
Formerly known as the European Economic Community (EEC), and later shortened to European Community (EC), the European Union (EU) is a group of 15 European nations that have established a single market area.

IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a non-governmental organization with national participation from over 40 countries responsible for preparing and publishing international standards for the electrical and electronics fields.

Installation
In the EMC Directive, several combined items of apparatus or systems put together at a given place to fulfill a specific objective, but not intended to be placed on the market as a single functional unit.

ISO
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is responsible for preparing international standards on all subjects except those covered by IEC.

Low Voltage Electrical Equipment
Any equipment designed for use with a voltage rating of between 50 and 1000V for alternating current and between 75 and 1500V for direct current. (There are some specific exclusions.)

Machinery
An assembly of linked parts or components, at least one of which moves, with the appropriate actuators, control and power circuits, etc., joined together for a specific application, in particular for the processing, treatment, moving, or packaging of a material. (There are some specific exclusions.)

Notified Body (NB)
A Notified Body is a competent body (CB) that is notified by the Commission of the EU. The NB is responsible for issuing approval certificates as required under certain Directives (e.g. for safety products). The names of NB's are published in the Official Journal of the EU. NB's, like CB's, are recognized as being competent for certain areas (i.e. products and Directives). NB's have to be involved for the certification of conformity for certain products. The responsibility for the Declaration of Conformity always stays with the manufacturer.

Regulations
Directly applicable to all EU members, regulations do not have to be ratified by national governing bodies. They lay down binding laws which are applied in exactly the same way as national legislation; in fact, they prevail over national legislation.

System
In the EMC Directive, several items of apparatus combined to fulfill a specific objective and intended to be placed on the market as a single functional unit. This term applies only to the EMC Directive.