According to the evaluation commission, the LVD is still relevant and does not need to be adapted in its current form. However, some participants in the commission, particularly consumer advocates, spoke out in favor of at least certain particularly risky products being subjected to mandatory conformity testing by third parties. However, the majority in the expert panel did not see any urgent requirement for this.
The experts paid particular attention to developments in the field of wireless communications. More and more devices have a radio interface and thus fall under the Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU (RED). Although this limits the scope of the LVD, the provisions of the directive are still complied with.
A second focus was on maintaining market surveillance in the face of increasing online trade. Here, reference is made to other EU publications on the monitoring of e-commerce. Thus, the requirements within the LVD are considered sufficient. The function of the LVD to strengthen the domestic market also predominates, which continues to strengthen its relevance.
What does the assessment result mean for VDE customers?
Since the directive and the associated listing of standards will not change, there will be no impact on certification processes for Low Voltage Directive products at the VDE Institute.
However, the demand of consumer protection organizations for a conformity assessment by third parties shows once again that independent tests are appreciated by consumers and demanded by consumer protection organizations.
