RED: eight new citations, five deferred to 2028
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2003 was adopted on 4 September 2026 and published in the Official Journal on 7 September, the first amendment to the RED standards list since December 2025. The summaries circulating describe it as thirteen standards added and five withdrawn, with a transition to 7 March 2028. That reads like a deadline, and it is the wrong way round: the decision's own Article 3 defers only the deletions, so the eight genuinely new citations are usable today while the five references they supersede keep their value for another eighteen months.
In short:
- Eight references gain presumption of conformity immediately, on publication. Five of them are EMC and ultra-wideband parts with no previously cited version.
- Five older references are deleted, but not until 7 March 2028. Article 3 applies point (1) of the Annex from that date and nothing else.
- So "thirteen added" counts five replacements twice. The list grows by eight.
- A separate article corrects a row number in Decision (EU) 2025/2499: in point 1 of its Annex, 125 becomes 121.
The gap in 2026 is over
Section titled “The gap in 2026 is over”Our note of 15 August recorded that Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2191, which carries the consolidated list, had not been amended since 9 December 2025 and that no RED decision had appeared during 2026. That is no longer true. 2026/2003 is the first of the year, and it arrives after a nine-month gap in which the only moving parts were the withdrawal dates already scheduled by the three 2025 decisions.
The mechanism is unchanged. A standard that is cited in the Official Journal gives a manufacturer presumption of conformity with the essential requirements it covers. Removing a citation removes that presumption; it does not make a product unlawful, and the withdrawal note sets out what that distinction means in practice.
Five replacements, and eight that are genuinely new
Section titled “Five replacements, and eight that are genuinely new”The decision's Annex has three points, and the distinction between them is what the "thirteen added" framing loses. Point (1) deletes five rows. Point (2) inserts newer versions of those same five standards. Point (3) adds eight rows that have no predecessor in the list.
The five replacements:
| Leaving the list | Entering the list | Equipment |
|---|---|---|
| EN 50566 :2017/A1:2023 | EN 50566:2017 with A1:2023 and A2:2025 | Body-worn RF exposure, article 3.1(a) |
| EN 302 217-2 V3.3.1 | EN 302 217-2 V3.4.1 | Fixed radio systems, point to point |
| EN 302 372 V2.1.1 | EN 302 372 V3.1.1 | Tank level probing radar |
| EN 303 135 V2.1.1 | EN 303 135 V2.2.1 | Coastal surveillance, vessel traffic and harbour radar |
| EN 303 354 V1.1.1 | EN 303 354 V1.2.1 | Amplifiers and active antennas for television reception |
The EN 50566 row is the one worth pausing on, because it is the only entry here that touches article 3.1(a) health rather than 3.2 spectrum. The replacement row cites the 2017 edition together with both its A1:2023 and A2:2025 amendments, so the 2025 amendment enters the citation. Anyone running body-worn SAR to the A1 text should read A2 before the next campaign. The wider method stack is unchanged and is described in the SAR procedures guide.
The eight new citations, rows 184 to 191:
| Reference | Equipment |
|---|---|
| EN 300 440-2 V3.1.1 | Short-range devices |
| EN 301 489-5 V2.3.1 | EMC, private mobile radio |
| EN 301 489-13 V2.1.1 | EMC, Citizens' Band radio |
| EN 301 489-50 V2.4.1 | EMC, cellular base stations |
| EN 302 065-3-3 V3.1.0 | Ultra-wideband |
| EN 302 065-4-4 V2.1.1 | Ultra-wideband |
| EN 303 364-1-1 V1.1.1 | Primary surveillance radar |
| EN 305 550-5 V1.1.1 | Short-range devices, 40 GHz to 246 GHz |
Three of the eight are EN 301 489 parts. For a base station or a PMR product that has been demonstrating article 3.1(b) compliance without a cited part, this is the first time the specific EMC standard carries a presumption, which changes the shape of the dossier rather than the tests in it.
What 7 March 2028 actually defers
Section titled “What 7 March 2028 actually defers”Article 3 has two sentences. The decision enters into force on the day of publication, and point (1) of the Annex applies from 7 March 2028. Point (1) is the deletions, nothing else.
The consequences run opposite to how a "transition to 2028" is usually read:
- The new and replacement citations are live now. A manufacturer can move to EN 302 217-2 V3.4.1, or start relying on EN 301 489-50 V2.4.1, from 7 September 2026.
- The superseded versions keep their presumption until 7 March 2028. A dossier built on EN 302 372 V2.1.1 is not stale, and no re-test is triggered by this decision.
- Nothing is prohibited on either date. A withdrawal removes a presumption of conformity. Demonstrating compliance by another route, with the technical reasoning written down, remains available.
Eighteen months is the usual interval, and it matches the pattern the 2025 decisions set. The practical reading is that this decision opens options rather than closing them, and the date to record is a housekeeping one.
The correction most readers will skip
Section titled “The correction most readers will skip”Article 2 does something separate from the standards list: in point 1 of the Annex to Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/2499, the number "125" is replaced with "121". That is a row-reference correction to the December 2025 decision, which had pointed at the wrong row of the consolidated list.
It matters only if you are reconciling the list yourself, from the decisions rather than from the consolidated version, which is exactly what a thorough technical file does. If your own tracking shows a deletion against row 125 dated from 2025/2499, it belongs against row 121.
What to do
Section titled “What to do”- Check whether any of the eight new references covers a product you certify without a cited standard. Three EN 301 489 parts and two ultra-wideband parts are new to the list, and a presumption you did not previously have is worth claiming.
- Put 7 March 2028 in the calendar rather than treating it as urgent. The five superseded versions are valid until then.
- Read EN 50566 A2:2025 if you run body-worn SAR. It is the only article 3.1(a) entry in this decision.
- Correct any local tracking of Decision (EU) 2025/2499 from row 125 to row 121.
- Do not conclude the list is now current. The withdrawals scheduled for 15 November 2026, 14 February 2027 and 11 June 2027 are unaffected by this decision and still stand.
Going further
Section titled “Going further”- RED: six standards lose citation on 15 November: the withdrawal waves already scheduled, and what a withdrawal does not mean
- RED harmonised standards: how the citation list maps onto articles 3.1 and 3.2
- SAR procedures under IEC 62209 and EN 50360/50566: the body-worn exposure method stack
Sources & references
- Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2003 of 4 September 2026, EUR-Lex eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2026/2003/oj
- Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2191, consolidated RED standards list, EUR-Lex eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2022/2191/oj
- Directive 2014/53/EU (Radio Equipment Directive), EUR-Lex eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/53/oj
- Harmonised standards, radio equipment, European Commission single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/single-market/goods/european-standards/harmonised-standards/radio-equipment_en