The electromagnetic environment: its relationship to existing harmonised generic standards, and the need to consider it fully to meet the protection requirements of the EMC Directive

Fully meeting the test standards necessary for the "Presumption of Conformity" does not necessarily ensure that the EMC Directive's protection requirements are also met. Actual interference problems may still occur in real life, which means that the protection requirements of the EMC Directive (and the customer's expectations) may not be met in full. Products which do not meet the protection requirements may be suspended from sale throughout the European Union (EU), even though they may fully meet harmonised standards. Private legal claims for financial loss or personal injury are also possible in such cases. To reduce the risk of failing to meet the protection requirements of the EMC Directive, with its substantial financial and other implications, a procedure similar to that described in this paper should be used to determine the EMC performance specifications for a product, rather than relying solely on the harmonised standards.