Why the CE Mark Is Needed for International Business and Finance The CE Mark is the identification marker that informs that the product displaying this marker met all the safety and health requirements as published by European Directives. These products can be sold throughout all countries that are part of the European Union. The CE Mark is also a requirement on some equipment in order for that equipment to be used in countries that belong to the Union. The main function of the CE Mark is to declare that the product meets that requirements set forth in the European Directives. The purpose of the CE Mark is to facilitate free movement of products throughout Europe as well to encourage the creation and release of new product s into the market. It is important to note that the CE Mark does certify that the claim made by the manufacturer have been assessed, approved or verified by a third party. The European Directives though empower law enforcement and consumers to remove all non-conforming products from the marketplace. The system relies heavily on the manufacturers ensuring that all products the release into the market have met all pertinent elements of the Directives. Not all products are required to bear the CE Mark. There are only 24 different categories of products that require the CE Mark. The CE conformity marking pertains to categories such as electrical equipment, toys, explosives and medical devices to name a few. Making sure that the product is adhering to the specific regulations for the category it belongs to is the responsible of the manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer. The wholesaler and retailer must verify that the product does in fact meet the requirements, and that all products that fall into one of the 24 categories is bearing the CE Mark. There have been a number of legal measures as well as economic sanctions established and enacted to try to avoid as many non-conformity issues as possible. What does this mean as for as international business and finance. The market in Europe is expanding as more and more products are introduced coming from other countries. The European Union is using the CE Mark as the basis for establishing a coordinated approach to market surveillance and ensuring that products are safe for the consumers. Most countries that export or are looking to export their products into the market are aware that the CE conformity marking is a required, and is seen as a "passport", so to speak for an outside manufacturer to sell products to the European market. It is important that you are aware of what countries are a part of the European Union and this list includes: * Denmark * Austria * Belgium * Finland * France * Germany * Greece * Ireland * Italy * The Netherlands * Spain * Portugal * Sweden * The UK * Luxembourg While Turkey is not a part of the EU, it has taken steps to implement a number of the same directives set forth in the European Directives, and they also require a CE Conformity Marking. The main issue here is that there is often great disparity in how one would be able to mark their products with the CE Mark. Each country, may and often does have its own set of standards that products must
adhere to in order to be sold in the country. For example, having a CE Marked product in France may not be able to be sold in Spain, simply due to the difference in standards. We can take a look at the company Philips, the manufacture electrical outlets. They are Dutch company and due to the disparity from one EU country to another, they have had to manufacture twenty nine different outlets to meet with requirements of the different countries. While the purpose of the of the European Union is to create a balance of safety and health interests of the countries that belong to the union with the need for there to be a free flow of goods, each year new national standards arise that hinder this process. It can be said that CE conformity marking is the stepping stone to creating a more global approach to delivering products that are conducive to health and are deemed safe. The major obstacle that needs to be overcome so that there can be an increase in business in the European Market which would thereby increase the financial sovereignty of Europe as a whole, is a more unified approach to the CE Mark with less national involvement. The CE Mark is the key to opening the market and making the flow of goods into the market one that is beneficial to consumer, manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer and country.