State of play, main conclusions, outlook

Evaluation of the Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive (2014/30/EU)

The purpose of this evaluation was to assess if the directive is still fit for purpose and to collect evidence and information to identify possible difficulties during the implementation that may require regulatory and/or non-regulatory corrective measures and the adequacy of the directive’s provisions in light of scientific and technological progress. The evaluation concluded that the Directive does not need to be revised. It is still relevant, effective, efficient, coherent, and has EU added value.

The Directive’s essential requirements were seen as fit-for-purpose, according to industry stakeholders (e.g. industry associations and economic operators). The alignment with the New Legislative Framework’s horizontal provisions is considered to have been positive by all stakeholders, by improving the clarity and ease of application, through the use of common terminology and definitions to describe the responsibilities of economic operators in the value chain.

The directive was perceived by stakeholder as adopting a technology-neutral approach, with essential requirements laid down in the legislation and harmonised standards providing voluntarily the means of addressing the essential requirements for new technologies. The option to choose between self-assessment and notified bodies for conformity assessment, first introduced in 2004 and strengthened by the alignment with the New Legislative Framework in 2014, was seen as positively contributing to Directive’s effectiveness. Additionally, the inclusion of references to good engineering practices, in particular for fixed installations, in the directive in 2004 has also had a positive impact.

Estimated savings and benefits

Concerning the efficiency of the directive, the benefits generated by it outweigh its costs for each type of stakeholders and the affordability of costs has not been put in question by the different stakeholders. Cost to ensure electromagnetic compatibility were seen as an integral part of the product development costs. The cost of complying with the directive were estimated to correspond to 5-15% of the total costs of production, including administrative compliance cost as well as compliance costs of designing low-EMC emission products, i.e. building in shielding and immunity measures to address sources of electrical noise. In particular, costs to keep the technical documentation updated for 10 years were considered to be relatively high. Some costs such as familiarising themselves with the legal obligations are relatively higher for SMEs. The self-certification approach significantly contributes to keeping conformity assessment costs relatively low and grants a certain level of flexibility to economic operators. In terms of benefits, both technical and strategic economic benefits of the directive have been identified.