The Objectives

The objectives of EU Directives and their associated national Regulations are to:

• Remove technical barriers to trade (and provide a level EU wide playing field)
• Harmonise the health and safety laws of EU member states

The New Approach

The single market could not have been created without a change in regulatory techniques, which have been designed to simplify and rationalise the way products were produced and distributed throughout Europe.

This so called "New Approach" results in "New Approach" Directives which aim to identify the general "essential requirements" that products then have to meet.

New Approach Principles

The new approach Directives encompass a set of principles which are consistent across all new approach directives and include:

• Products must meet certain essential requirements in order to freely circulate throughout the European Union
• The technical specifications that a product must meet will be laid down in "harmonised standards"
• However, the use of harmonised standards is voluntary and there should be other means for a manufacturer to demonstrate compliance with the "essential requirements"
• Where products are manufactured in accordance with the harmonised standards they are deemed to meet the essential requirements

The Law

Directives are applied to, and legally binding on, the national member state. Essentially the EU directs the government of the member states that a certain result has to be achieved by a certain date. However, it leaves the method by which the result is achieved to the national member state

In the UK directives are then translated into UK law using various Statutory Instruments or Regulations. It is therefore the Regulations, not the Directive, to which UK companies must comply.

Further information on the following directives can be found by following the links:

1 - Lifts

2 - Medical Devices

3 - Pressure Vessels

4 - Marine Equipment