The electromagnetic compatibility Directive sets the essential requirements for electrical and electronic equipment that may disturb or even be disturbed by other equipment. This Directive relates to all electrical or electronic equipment.

The EMC Directive came into force on 1st January 1992 and it became a legal obligation on 1st January 1996. This means that from that moment on, no more equipment may be placed on the market or put into operation without the CE Marking. The CE Marking may be omitted from equipment that was already placed on the market before that date. It will very rarely be the case that only the EMC Directive is applicable to a product. With electrically driven machines, for example, a combination of the Machinery Directive, the Low voltage Directive and the EMC Directive will often apply.