The legal situation on EMC in the European Union

The legal situation on EMC in the European Union is based on the European Union Directive on the Approximation of the Laws of the Member States on Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC). This so called "EMC Directive" is an European law which is valid in the 15 member states of the European Union and in the three additional countries of the European Economic Area (EEA). These three additional countries are Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway. The EMC Directive has been applied since the first of January 1996. The European Union, having the biggest single market in the western hemisphere with more than 400 million inhabitants does indeed require EMC performance from all electrical and electronic products to be placed on the single market of the European Union. A lot of experience has been gained since 1996 and it has been shown that the EMC Directive is a very effective tool to protect the electromagnetic environment from unwanted electromagnetic disturbances.