On 1 August 2023, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) announced an indefinite extension to the use of CE marking in Great Britain beyond the previous 31 December 2024 deadline, giving businesses flexibility to choose between the CE marking and the UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking for the Great Britain market for the foreseeable future.
The announcement covers the regulations falling within DBT’s remit including the regimes applicable to toys, EMC, radio equipment, PPE, machinery and LVD (the full list is available here). It confirms that other government departments will communicate their plans in respect of other CE/UKCA marking regimes (such as Ecodesign and Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)) in due course.
The DBT has described the extension as a “key ask from businesses” and said that it is intended to “cut business costs and time required to place products on the market and benefit consumers”. The development will be welcomed by industry and manufacturers who have voiced concerns from the outset about the adoption of new UK rules that would duplicate EU product standards.
Businesses have been able to use the UKCA mark voluntarily since 1 January 2021 to demonstrate their conformity with product standards in England, Scotland and Wales. This latest announcement follows on from a number of other previously announced delays to the mandatory use of UKCA marking (see our previous blog post here).
