CECE discovers first-hand the upcoming changes of the future Machinery legislation

On the 23rd and 24th of March 2021, CECE participated in the European Commission’s (EC) Machinery Expert Group meeting. The main topic for discussion was the revision of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. The EC presented the main highlights of the future legislation.

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The new legislation is expected for the end of April and it will come in a package together with a future framework for products with Artificial Intelligence. Changes will potentially include: an extra set of requirements for products bearing new technologies such as AI; a concept for substantial modification of machinery, including requirements for manufacturer to provide information support to any user who wants to modify a machine; a more stringent conformity assessment procedure for manufacturers of machinery considered of “high-risk” and the possibility to provide digital instructions accompanying the product.

Another topic of interest for CECE members was the publication of the references of Harmonised Standards in the Official Journal of the EU (OJEU). CECE urged the Commission to proceed with the publication of EN 474-1+A6 on Earthmoving Machinery. CEN-CENELEC already published this standard back in 2019 and the citation in the OJEU is dependent on a positive assessment from the Committee of Standards.

During the meeting, CECE representatives showed concern with this delay, as the new amendment comes to clarify shortcomings of the previous version of this standard, answering an issue raised by market surveillance authorities.

For the next steps, CECE members will discuss those topics during the next CECE Technical Week and will carefully analyse what are the options available to further cooperate with the European Commission and Member States’ in the discussions of the Machinery Expert Group.

You may find CECE’s position on the revision of the Machinery on our website.