European market

One of the most important markets in the world is the European Economic Area , which includes the European Free Trade Association  and the European Union countries, that  with its  nearly  500 million inhabitants is one of the most important market  in the world.

After the enlargements of 2004 and 2007, it is  possible  that  other countries like Croatia, F.Y.R.O.M. and Turkey are trying to become  membership in the EU;  so  these countries must  make  similar  their political and economic structures to that of the European Union.

This includes the adoption of directives and standards mandatory in the EU.

There are Directives regarding Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), Low Voltage equipment, Machinery and Medical Devices that have a major impact on European and Global industries selling products in this region of the World.

New requirements regarding Electromagnetic Compatibility  and safety have to meet the European legislation, so that

they  comply with these Directives.

European norms are in general based on or adopted from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards.

Approximately 60 member countries create IEC standards with the input of their national standards working groups and committees.

The United States is represented through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and is  very  interested  to  a variety of standards such as IEC 60950, IEC 61010 and IEC 60601.

These IEC standards have been harmonized as European Norms (EN) with the same numbers EN 60950, EN 61010, EN 60601 plus very limited European Amendments which  reflect   national conditions.

The CE marking,  that  is  similar to the one  used by Chinese companies,  is supposed  to  make easy  the free movement of goods within the European Union and  guarantees   that products  meet    the requirements of directives issued by EU and standards are respected.

There are directives some  adopted  other ones  to be  written that  set out mandatory technical and safety requirements for a variety of products, including appliances, electrical machines, medical devices, passenger lifts, telecommunications products, recreational boats and children's toys.

Equipment today must be designed for the global market with safety and EMC compliance in mind.

For EMC, both emissions and immunity issues must be addressed. Typical safety design issues to consider are creepage and clearance distances, the use of components with third party approval, printed circuit board layouts, transformer design and construction, insulation thicknesses, safety interlocks and protective earth grounding.

Many of these items are easily incorporated in new designs but often become serious issues when one is faced with the redesign of existing products because of limited enclosure space, EMC compliance issues and the use of specially designed components.

It is important to recognize the appropriate standards that need to be met. EN 50081-1, Generic Emission - Residential, commercial and light industry, EN 50082-1, Generic Immunity - Residential, commercial and light industry and for safety EN 60335-1, Safety of household and similar electrical appliances - General requirements, along with the EN 60335-2-xx series are the applicable standards for appliances.

Manufacturers should evaluate their technical construction files and declarations of conformity to verify that EMC and Product Safety tests have been carried out for the complete product.

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