EMC Directive 2014/30/EU — explained simply.

Anyone placing electrical equipment on the market in the EU must comply with the EMC Directive. Here it is broken down to the essentials — with reference to the specific articles.

Secure conformity

What the Directive requires

Directive 2014/30/EU governs the electromagnetic compatibility of equipment in the EU. EMC is defined there (Art. 3) as the ability of equipment to function satisfactorily in its electromagnetic environment without itself causing unacceptable interference to other devices.

Scope (Art. 2)

Covered are apparatus and fixed installations. Excluded are, among others, radio equipment that falls under the Radio Equipment Directive (RED 2014/53/EU), as well as equipment with no relevant emission or susceptibility.

Essential requirements (Art. 6, Annex I)

Two sides — as in EMC as a whole: limit emissions and ensure immunity against the usual environmental disturbances. Details on this in the article immunity vs. emissions.

Harmonized standards (Art. 13)

Anyone who complies with the harmonized standards listed in the EU Official Journal enjoys the presumption of conformity for the essential requirements. Which standards these are is clarified by the standards overview.

Conformity assessment & CE (Art. 14, 15, 17)

For the EMC Directive, internal production control (Annex II) is generally sufficient — the manufacturer assesses conformity itself, optionally with an EU type-examination (Annex III). It draws up the EU declaration of conformity (Art. 15, template in Annex IV) and affixes the CE marking (Art. 17). Technical documentation must be kept for ten years (Art. 7).

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a notified body for EMC?

For the EMC Directive, internal production control (Annex II) is the standard case — a notified body is not mandatory. However, an accredited measurement creates the solid basis for your declaration of conformity; this is exactly where we come in with pre-compliance.

Does the EMC Directive apply alongside other directives?

Yes. A product may simultaneously be subject to, for example, the Low Voltage, Machinery or Radio Equipment Directive. Radio equipment is covered on the EMC side by RED 2014/53/EU. The valid edition always prevails — we assess the framework on a project-specific basis.

Source: Directive 2014/30/EU, EUR-Lex (official full text). Article references according to this full text; the valid edition prevails.