Article 14 : Notified bodies - machinery directive 2006/42/EC

The text in RED color is the amended or added text in comparison with the former 98/37/EC machinery directive.

Article 14 : Notified bodies

1. Member States shall notify the Commission and the other Member States of the bodies which they have appointed to carry out the assessment of conformity for placing on the market referred to in Article 12(3) and (4), together with the specific conformity assessment procedures and categories of machinery for which these bodies have been appointed and the identification numbers assigned to them beforehand by the Commission. Member States shall notify the Commission and other Member States of any subsequent amendment.

2. The Member States shall ensure that the notified bodies are monitored regularly to check that they comply at all times with the criteria set out in Annex XI. The notified body shall provide all relevant information on request, including budgetary documents, to enable the Member States to ensure that the requirements of Annex XI are met.

3. Member States shall apply the criteria set out in Annex XI in assessing the bodies to be notified and the bodies already notified.

4. The Commission shall publish in the Official Journal of the European Union, for information, a list of the notified bodies and their identification numbers and the tasks for which they have been notified. The Commission shall ensure that this list is kept up to date.

5. Bodies meeting the assessment criteria laid down in the relevant harmonised standards, the references of which shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union, shall be presumed to fulfil the relevant criteria.

6. If a notified body finds that relevant requirements of this Directive have not been met or are no longer met by the manufacturer or that an EC type-examination certificate or the approval of a quality assurance system should not have been issued, it shall, taking account of the principle of proportionality, suspend or withdraw the certificate or the approval issued or place restrictions on it, giving detailed reasons, unless compliance with such requirements is ensured by the implementation of appropriate corrective measures by the manufacturer. In the event of suspension or withdrawal of the certificate or the approval or of any restriction placed on it, or in cases where intervention by the competent authority may prove necessary, the notified body shall inform the competent authority pursuant to Article 4. The Member State shall inform the other Member States and the Commission without delay. An appeal procedure shall be available.

7. The Commission shall provide for the organisation of an exchange of experience between the authorities responsible for appointment, notification and monitoring of notified bodies in the Member States, and the notified bodies, in order to coordinate the uniform application of this Directive.

8. A Member State which has notified a body shall immediately withdraw its notification if it finds:

(a) that the body no longer meets the criteria set out in Annex XI; or

(b) that the body seriously fails to fulfil its responsibilities.

The Member State shall immediately inform the Commission and the other Member States accordingly.

Comment:

This article refers to the designation of notified bodies by the Member States. These organizations perform the conformity assessment for the placing on the market referred to in Article 12, paragraphs 3 and 4, as well as the specific conformity assessment procedures and categories of machinery for which these bodies have been identified, particularly for machinery listed in Annex IV. 

This article is important for OEMs because it allows them to know which organizations to contact in order to certify their products, according to the different procedures listed in Article 12. 

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In addition, the EU has implemented the following rules (see articles 4 and 5 above): 

Regulation (CE) N° 765/2008  setting out the requirements for accreditation and market surveillance.

Original Comment:

Cet article est relatif à la désignation des organismes notifiés par les Etats membres. Ces organismes, effectuent l'évaluation de la conformité en vue de la mise sur le marché visée à l'article 12, paragraphes 3 et 4, ainsi que les procédures d'évaluation de la conformité spécifiques et les catégories de machines pour lesquelles ces organismes ont été désignés, notamment pour les machines listées à l’annexe IV.

Cet article est important pour les constructeurs de machines, car il leur permet de savoir vers quels organismes se diriger pour faire certifier ses produits, en fonction des différentes procédures listées à l’article 12.

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En complément, l’UE a mis en œuvre le règlement suivant (Cf. articles 4 et 5 ci-avant) :

Règlement (CE) N° 765/2008 fixant les prescriptions relatives à l'accréditation et à la surveillance du marché.