EU product directives are limited to essential safety, health or other performance requirements in the general public interest. The technical details of how to meet these requirements are left to manufacturers who self-certify products, the three regional European standards organizations, CEN, CENELEC, ETSI, and government appointed product certification bodies.
Products that meet the essential technical standards developed by CEN, CENELEC and ETSI are presumed to conform to the requirements of EU directives and allowed to circulate freely within the European Union.
For many products, however, a manufacturer can choose not to comply with CEN, CENELEC, ETSI standards, but must then demonstrate that the product meets the essential safety and performance requirements of the directives.
