What Are The Most Common Reasons Why Customs Stops Products With Ce Marking Issues?

By Author: Charles
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Before a product is introduced to the EU market, it must comply with all mandatory requirements, as demonstrated by the CE marking conformity assessment procedure and subsequent application of the CE marking. Since the manufacturer often handles this process on their own, they are required to provide accurate and sufficient CE Mark documents. A Notified Body may be required to provide certification under certain circumstances.

In Europe, CE marking is commonly used to allow products to enter the EU and to move freely on the market with no further limitations. Products may be held at borders by customs if the labelling or the procedure used is incorrect, and fixing the problem may become costly for the maker. the organization should make sure they hire professionals that are knowledgeable about the requirements and can-do CE Marking the proper way the first time. Just consider the cumulative impact of products stopped by customs on the supply chain, not to mention the brand reputation of the business.

Regarding product safety, there is also the general "safeguard procedure," which can prevent equipment that the ...
... authorities judge to be harmful from entering the market and can start further proceedings, all of which could be expensive for the manufacturer and the supply chain. Some of the most frequent reasons for stopping the products in customs are listed below:

The product missing the CE marking: The CE marking must be visible, legible, and permanent on the product or its data plate. Where this is not possible or warranted due to the nature of the product, it must be affixed to the packaging and associated CE Marking documents, if such documents are required by the legislation. Hence, unless it is impossible due to the product's nature, the CE marking should be put to it (i.e. it is too small). Nonetheless, in all situations, we urge that the CE certification be visible on the product, packaging, and instructions.

Improper CE marking format: This specifies the size and shape of the marking. There is no scope for departure, such as a styled version that may not adhere to the aspect ratio of the marking. Packaging, outside packing, and instructions are not correctly labelled. Customs should be able to determine the CE marking status based on a product carton and instructions. While it is possible for the product to merely contain the marking for completeness, the packaging and documents should also display the marking.

Issues with the EU DoC: The EU DoC is a legally binding certificate issued by the producer declaring that the CE Marking conformity assessment process was completed successfully and that the product meets all requirements. Regulation 768/2008 Annex III demonstrates what the EU DoC format requirements are, as well as the legal terms that must be included. According to Article R10.3, the manufacturer is fully responsible for the product's conformity by submitting the Declaration of Conformity. The EU DoC should include all compliance information for all applicable directives in a single document. What inferences can be formed regarding the conformance of the items and the quality characteristics if the information contained in them is incorrect?

Issues with the usage instructions: Manufacturers must guarantee that the product comes with instructions and safety information in a language that consumers and other end-users can understand, as specified by the Member State under consideration. Instructions and safety information must be written in the target market's native language. A product meant for Germany, for example, must include information in German or an easily understood format, such as illustrations and diagrams. Language is critical for safe product use. If not managed correctly, this could become a liability concern for the company in the future.

Additional packaging concerns: A cardboard carton is frequently pretty simple to mark. For retail purposes, several products come in transparent clamshell packaging. It should be guaranteed that any compliance markings are visible through the packaging and are not obscured in any manner by documentation or accessories packaged with the product. It is recommended that markings be placed in such a way that they may be seen while the product is still in its packaging.

There was no economic operator identified: Manufacturers and suppliers will be required by the EU authorities to have a contact person within the EU in case of product concerns. From July 2021, Regulation 2019/1020 on Marking and Surveillance requires the identification of an economic operator for each article imported into the EU. For the commodity, this economic operator must be identified, and it is predicted that this will become a basic customs check. The economic operator is responsible for various things. This covers an opening in which the economic operator could be located outside of the EU and impossible to reach.

Source: https://cemarkprocedures.wordpress.com/2023/03/09/what-are-the-most-common-reasons-why-customs-stops-products-with-ce-marking-issues/