CE marking

product to be marketed freely across the EU regardless of where it was made. It is mandatory only for products covered by EU legislation that specifically requires it, and must not be affixed otherwise. Responsibility rests with the manufacturer — including for components supplied by others — and no central EU body issues a CE certificate; for higher-risk products such as machinery, an independent notified body must assess conformity, and its four-digit number then appears next to the mark. For a buyer, the marking attests compliance at the moment the product was placed on the EU market, and the manufacturer must be able to produce the supporting technical documentation when a national authority requests it.