CE harmonised standards: presumption and OJEU lists

Hugues Orgitello updated 7 Oct 2026 17 min read

A harmonised standard is a European standard (CEN, CENELEC, ETSI) adopted at the request of the Commission; once the Commission publishes its reference in the Official Journal of the EU, applying it creates a presumption of conformity with the essential requirements it covers. CE marking does not mandate the standards themselves, it mandates the essential requirements; the standards are the shortcut. The catch is that presumption attaches to the exact edition cited in the list, and in 2026 those cited editions are often older than what the standards bodies sell: EN 62368-1:2014 under the LVD, EN 61000-3-2:2014 under the EMC Directive. This page gives the mechanism, where each list lives, the editions actually cited on 7 October 2026, and how to write them in the EU declaration of conformity.

TL;DR:

Applying harmonised standards is voluntary; only the essential requirements of the directives are mandatory.
Presumption of conformity exists only for the exact reference (edition plus amendments) cited in the OJEU list for that directive.
Presumption is time-bounded: after the withdrawal date set in the list, the old reference no longer protects you.
Under the RED, not applying cited standards for Article 3(2) or 3(3) forces a notified body procedure (Article 17(4)).
The EU DoC must cite exact references, such as EN 55032:2015/A11:2020 or EN 301 489-17 V3.3.1.

The "new approach" logic

Since 1985, the EU has separated two layers:

Directives set essential requirements: safety, health, consumer protection, environment. They are deliberately generic ("equipment shall not cause electromagnetic disturbances such that...") to remain valid against technological evolution.
Harmonised standards, drafted by the European standardisation organisations (CEN, CENELEC, ETSI) on a Commission request, translate these requirements into measurable technical specifications.

Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 defines a standard as a specification "with which compliance is not compulsory" (Article 2(1)). Applying a harmonised standard is therefore a choice. The manufacturer may demonstrate conformity by other means, but then builds the technical case itself, without the presumption.

Three European Standardisation Organisations (ESO)

Annex I of Regulation 1025/2012 names three bodies:

Organisation	Domain	Typical numbering
CEN	European Committee for Standardization	General and mechanical standards, EN ISO adoptions
CENELEC	European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization	Electrical and electronic standards (EN 50xxx, EN 55xxx, EN 6xxxx, EN IEC)
ETSI	European Telecommunications Standards Institute	Radio and telecom standards (EN 30x xxx), versioned Vx.y.z

An EN often re-publishes an international standard (CISPR, IEC) with European modifications.

The request and citation process

The Commission adopts a standardisation request to an ESO (Article 10(1) of Regulation 1025/2012).
The ESO drafts or revises the standard through its technical committees, with public enquiry.
The ESO publishes it as EN xxxxx. At this point it is already a "harmonised standard" in the sense of Article 2(1)(c), but it confers no presumption yet.
The Commission assesses whether the standard meets the request and the essential requirements.
If it does, the Commission "shall publish a reference of such harmonised standard without delay in the Official Journal" (Article 10(6)). It may also publish with a restriction, or not publish, notably after a formal objection (Article 11).
From that publication, correct application of the standard creates the presumption of conformity (EMC Article 13, LVD Article 12, RED Article 16).

A standard can therefore exist, carry the EN prefix and be called "harmonised" by its publisher without conferring any presumption. Only the OJEU list decides.

Where do you find the harmonised standards in force?

References are published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The current lists are Commission implementing decisions in the L series, which replaced the earlier C-series communications (the LVD decision repealed Communication 2018/C 326/02, the RED decision repealed Communication 2018/C 326/04). One decision per directive is amended over time, so the consolidated version is the one to read.

Directive	Act carrying the list	Latest consolidation or amendment (as of 7 October 2026)	Presumption article
EMC 2014/30/EU	Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/1326, plus older references still listed from C-series communications	Last amendment: Decision (EU) 2022/910 of 9 June 2022	Article 13
LVD 2014/35/EU	Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/2723	Consolidated version of 30 April 2026 (last amendment 2025/1488)	Article 12
RED 2014/53/EU	Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2191	Last amendment: Decision (EU) 2026/2003 of 4 September 2026	Article 16
Machinery 2006/42/EC	Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/1586, as amended	Directive repealed from 20 January 2027 by Regulation (EU) 2023/1230	Article 7
RoHS 2011/65/EU	Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/659 (EN IEC 63000:2018)		Article 16

Three practical sources:

EUR-Lex: the decisions above, in their consolidated version. This is the legal source.
The Commission harmonised standards portal: one page per directive, linking every amending decision, plus a "summary list" in PDF and Excel. The summary lists are dated (19 September 2022 for the EMC, 4 November 2024 for the LVD) and state they have no legal effect, but they show withdrawal dates in one table.
CEN-CENELEC and ETSI: for buying the standard and reading its scope, not for knowing whether it is cited.

A standard cited by a test lab, a consultant or a supplier datasheet is not an official reference. Always cross-check with the current consolidated decision.

Lifecycle of a harmonised standard

Publication of the reference in the OJEU: presumption of conformity begins.
Coexistence: when a revised edition is cited, the decision usually defers the withdrawal of the old reference to a set date, so both confer presumption for a while. The length is set case by case in each decision.
Withdrawal date: the old reference no longer grants presumption; only the revised one does.
Amendments (A1, A11...) are cited together with the base edition, as one reference.

The classic trap: a test performed against an edition whose reference has since been withdrawn. The test is still technically valid but no longer carries presumption; technical equivalence with the cited edition must be argued, which often means retesting the clauses that changed.

Chronological example: EN 62368-1 (audio/video and ICT safety)

Date	Event	Source
8 July 2016	EN 62368-1:2014 cited under the LVD (OJ C 249)	LVD summary list
14 September 2018	OJ C 326 sets 20 December 2020 as withdrawal date for EN 60065:2014 and EN 60950-1:2006 (with its amendments)	LVD summary list
20 December 2020	EN 60065 and EN 60950-1 stop conferring presumption	LVD summary list
13 December 2023	Decision 2023/2723 replaces the LVD lists; it cites EN 62368-1:2014 and EN 62368-1:2014/AC:2015	Decision 2023/2723
30 April 2026	Consolidated version still cites only EN 62368-1:2014 + AC:2015	Decision 2023/2723, consolidated

The later CENELEC editions (such as EN IEC 62368-1:2020 with A11:2020, based on IEC 62368-1:2018) have never been cited under the LVD. A DoC that declares EN IEC 62368-1:2020/A11:2020 "as harmonised standard" under the LVD claims a presumption the list does not give.

For EMC the chronology has simply stopped. The Commission EMC page, checked on 7 October 2026, lists no amendment to Decision 2019/1326 after Decision (EU) 2022/910 of 9 June 2022, so presumption stays attached to the editions cited then, whatever CENELEC has published since. See no new EMC standard cited since June 2022.

How to read the list entries

The current decisions publish new references in an annex and set the withdrawal of replaced references, with a date, in the amending decision. Read together, they give three pieces of information per entry. Real examples:

Reference cited (confers presumption) | Reference it replaces           | Old reference withdrawn on
EN 55032:2015/A11:2020                | EN 55032:2012/AC:2013           | 4 May 2022
EN 55035:2017/A11:2020                | EN 55024:2010                   | 16 September 2022
EN 300 220-2 V3.3.1                   | EN 300 220-2 V3.1.1             | 11 June 2027
EN 301 893 V2.2.1                     | EN 301 893 V2.1.1               | 15 May 2028

Reading:

The first column is the exact reference (edition and amendments) to cite in the DoC.
The second column is the reference the new one replaces.
The third column is the end of presumption for the old reference. Until then, both confer it.

Some entries also carry a restriction ("Notice"): the listed clause or option confers no presumption. EN 60335-1:2012 (as amended up to A15:2021) is cited with a restriction on the part of clause 20.2 that refers to test probe B (Decision 2025/1457); EN 18031-1, -2 and -3 carry several (see below).

Key standards for electronic products, with the cited editions

Electromagnetic compatibility: EMC Directive

Cited editions taken from Decision 2019/1326 (consolidated 10 June 2022) and the Commission summary list for the references still standing from C-series communications.

Standard	Coverage	Edition cited under 2014/30/EU
EN 55032	Multimedia equipment emissions (CISPR 32)	EN 55032:2015/A11:2020
EN 55035	Multimedia equipment immunity (CISPR 35)	EN 55035:2017/A11:2020
EN 55011	Industrial, scientific and medical equipment emissions (CISPR 11)	EN 55011:2016/A1:2017/A11:2020
EN 55014-1 / -2	Household appliances and tools, emission / immunity	EN 55014-1:2017/A11:2020; EN 55014-2:1997 with A1:2001, A2:2008 and AC:1997
EN 55015	Lighting equipment emissions	EN IEC 55015:2019/A11:2020
EN 61000-3-2	Harmonic current emissions, input current ≤ 16 A per phase	EN 61000-3-2:2014
EN 61000-3-3	Voltage fluctuations and flicker, ≤ 16 A per phase	EN 61000-3-3:2013
EN 61000-3-11	Voltage fluctuations and flicker, ≤ 75 A, conditional connection	EN 61000-3-11:2000
EN 61000-3-12	Harmonic currents, > 16 A and ≤ 75 A per phase	EN 61000-3-12:2011
EN 61000-6-1	Generic immunity, residential, commercial and light industrial	EN 61000-6-1:2007
EN 61000-6-2	Generic immunity, industrial	EN 61000-6-2:2005 with AC:2005
EN 61000-6-3	Generic emissions, residential, commercial and light industrial	EN 61000-6-3:2007/A1:2011 (and AC:2012)
EN 61000-6-4	Generic emissions, industrial	EN 61000-6-4:2007/A1:2011
EN 61000-4-x	Immunity test methods (-2 ESD, -3 radiated RF, -4 EFT, -5 surge, -6 conducted RF, -8 magnetic field, -11 dips)	Not cited themselves: basic standards called up by the product and generic standards

The generic standards EN IEC 61000-6-1:2019, -6-2:2019 and -6-4:2019, EN IEC 61000-6-3:2021 and EN IEC 61000-3-2:2019 are CENELEC publications, but none appears in the EMC list. Testing to them is defensible; claiming presumption from them is not.

Electrical safety: LVD

Cited editions from Decision 2023/2723, consolidated 30 April 2026.

Standard	Coverage	Edition cited under 2014/35/EU
EN 62368-1	Audio/video, information and communication technology equipment; replaced EN 60065 and EN 60950-1, whose EU presumption of conformity ceased on 20 December 2020 (the IEC withdrew IEC 60065 and IEC 60950-1 on 29 March 2024)	EN 62368-1:2014 + AC:2015
EN 61010-1	Measurement, control and laboratory equipment	EN 61010-1:2010/A1:2019 (with AC:2019-04)
EN 60335-1	Household appliances, general part for the EN 60335-2-xx series	EN 60335-1:2012 up to A15:2021, with a restriction on clause 20.2
EN 60598-1	Luminaires	EN IEC 60598-1:2021/A11:2022 (EN 60598-1:2015 withdrawn 11 July 2024)
EN 60204-1	Electrical equipment of machines	EN 60204-1:2018 (also cited under the Machinery Directive)
EN 62311	Human exposure to EMF, 0 Hz to 300 GHz, general assessment	EN 62311:2008
EN 62479	EMF exposure, low-power equipment	EN 62479:2010

Two standards often put in this table belong elsewhere:

EN 60601-1 (medical electrical equipment): the LVD does not apply to "electrical equipment for radiology and medical purposes" (Annex II of Directive 2014/35/EU). It is handled under the medical device regulations.
EN 62841-1 (hand-held and transportable electric tools): it is cited under the Machinery Directive (EN 62841-1:2015 with AC:2015 and A11:2022, Decision 2023/1586), not in the LVD list. Machinery moves to Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on 20 January 2027.

Radio equipment: RED

The RED essential requirements sit in Article 3: 3(1)(a) health and safety, 3(1)(b) EMC, 3(2) spectrum, 3(3) specific requirements activated by delegated acts. Radio equipment is outside the EMC Directive (Article 2(2)(a) of 2014/30/EU), so its EMC and safety are declared under the RED. For the full table with every notice, see RED harmonised standards.

Article 3(1)(a): health and safety

Standard	Coverage	Edition cited under 2014/53/EU
EN 50360	Devices used next to the ear, 300 MHz to 6 GHz	EN 50360:2017/A1:2023
EN 50566	Hand-held and body-mounted devices, 30 MHz to 6 GHz	EN 50566:2017/A1:2023/A2:2025 (since 7 September 2026); the version without A2 is withdrawn on 7 March 2028
EN 50385	Base stations placed on the market, 110 MHz to 100 GHz	EN 50385:2017
EN 50401	Base stations put into service, 110 MHz to 100 GHz	EN 50401:2017

The IEC/IEEE 62209 measurement methods are not in the RED list, and neither is EN 62311 (cited under the LVD only) nor any general electrical safety standard such as EN 62368-1. For Article 3(1)(a) electrical safety, a radio product is assessed against the LVD safety objectives "with no voltage limit applying", without a RED-cited safety standard to lean on.

Article 3(1)(b): electromagnetic compatibility

The EN 301 489 series is built as a common part (EN 301 489-1) plus specific parts. Only specific parts are cited; EN 301 489-1 is called up inside them as a normative reference. Parts cited in the consolidated decision:

Part	Coverage (title of the cited standard)	Version cited
EN 301 489-3	Short Range Devices, 9 kHz to 246 GHz	V2.3.2
EN 301 489-5	PMR and TETRA	V2.3.1 (since 7 September 2026)
EN 301 489-12	VSAT and satellite interactive earth stations	V3.2.1
EN 301 489-13	Citizens' Band radio	V2.1.1 (since 7 September 2026)
EN 301 489-17	Broadband and wideband data transmission (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth)	V3.3.1
EN 301 489-19	Receive-only mobile earth stations and GNSS receivers	V2.2.1
EN 301 489-20	Mobile earth stations, mobile satellite services	V2.2.1
EN 301 489-28	Wireless digital video links	V2.1.1
EN 301 489-50	Cellular base stations, repeaters	V2.4.1 (since 7 September 2026)
EN 301 489-52	Cellular user equipment	V1.3.1 (V1.2.1 withdrawn on 15 November 2026)
EN 301 489-54	Ground-based aeronautical and meteorological radars	V1.1.1

Each of these parts carries a notice excluding emissions below 9 kHz from the presumption, and most add a second one: no presumption for Article 3(1)(b) if clause 6 is applied. EN 55035 is also cited under the RED, as EN 55035:2017 without its A11 amendment, while EN 55032 is not in the RED list at all.

Article 3(2): efficient use of spectrum

Standard	Band	Coverage	Version cited
EN 300 328	2.4 GHz	Wideband data transmission (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, BLE, Zigbee, Thread)	V2.2.2
EN 301 893	5 GHz	WAS/RLAN, 5150 to 5350 MHz and 5470 to 5725 MHz	V2.2.1 (V2.1.1 until 15 May 2028)
EN 303 687	6 GHz	WAS/RLAN, 5945 to 6425 MHz	V1.1.1, with restrictions
EN 300 220	Sub-GHz	SRD, 25 MHz to 1000 MHz (part 2)	EN 300 220-2 V3.3.1 (V3.1.1 until 11 June 2027)
EN 300 113	VHF/UHF	Land mobile radio, data and/or speech, with antenna connector	V2.2.1
EN 301 511	GSM	GSM mobile stations	V12.5.1
EN 301 908	IMT	Cellular networks, several parts (user equipment and base stations)	Version per part
EN 302 065	UWB	Ultra-wideband, several parts	Version per part
EN 300 330	9 kHz to 30 MHz	Inductive SRD, RFID, NFC	V2.1.1
EN 300 422	Up to 3 GHz	Wireless microphones (audio PMSE)	EN 300 422-1 V2.2.1
EN 300 718	457 kHz	Avalanche beacons	EN 300 718-1 V2.2.1

Article 3(3)(d), (e), (f): cybersecurity, applicable since 1 August 2025

Decision (EU) 2025/138, published on 30 January 2025, cites the three standards with restrictions:

Standard	Requirement	Restriction (no presumption when...)
EN 18031-1	Article 3(3)(d), network protection	...clauses 6.2.5.1 and 6.2.5.2 are applied so that the user may not set or use any password; "rationale" and "guidance" sections never confer presumption
EN 18031-2	Article 3(3)(e), personal data and privacy	Same password restriction; for toys and childcare equipment, when parental or guardian access control is not ensured
EN 18031-3	Article 3(3)(f), protection from fraud	Same password restriction; no presumption for the secure update assessment criteria of clause 6.3.2.4

This matters more under the RED than elsewhere: Article 17(4) sends any Article 3(2) or 3(3) requirement for which cited standards were "not applied or applied only in part" to EU-type examination (Annex III) or full quality assurance (Annex IV), both with a notified body.

RoHS: Restriction of Hazardous Substances

EN IEC 63000: EN IEC 63000:2018, technical documentation for the assessment of electrical and electronic products, cited by Decision (EU) 2020/659 in place of EN 50581:2012.
EN 62321 (series): test methods for the restricted substances (lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, PBB, PBDE, DEHP, BBP, DBP, DIBP). Used in practice for analysis, but not cited as a harmonised standard under the RoHS Directive.

Dated changes to the lists, 2024 to 2028

Date	List	Change	Source
11 July 2024	LVD	EN 60598-1:2015 (with A1:2018) withdrawn	Decision 2023/2723
30 January 2025	RED	EN 18031-1, -2, -3:2024 cited with restrictions	Decision 2025/138
15 May 2025	RED	EN 301 489-3 V2.3.2, -17 V3.3.1, -19 V2.2.1, -52 V1.3.1, EN 301 893 V2.2.1, EN 303 687 V1.1.1 cited	Decision 2025/893
18 July 2025	LVD	EN 60335-1:2012 up to A15:2021 cited with a restriction on clause 20.2	Decision 2025/1457
1 August 2025	RED	Article 3(3)(d), (e), (f) apply to the equipment in Delegated Regulation 2022/30	Delegated Regulation 2023/2444
11 December 2025	RED	EN 300 220-2 V3.3.1 cited	Decision 2025/2499
7 September 2026	RED	EN 50566:2017/A2:2025, EN 301 489-5 V2.3.1, -13 V2.1.1, -50 V2.4.1 cited	Decision 2026/2003
15 November 2026	RED	EN 301 489-52 V1.2.1 withdrawn	Decision 2025/893
20 January 2027	Machinery	Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies, Directive 2006/42/EC repealed	Regulation 2023/1230
11 June 2027	RED	EN 300 220-2 V3.1.1 withdrawn	Decision 2025/2499
7 March 2028	RED	EN 50566:2017/A1:2023 (without A2) withdrawn	Decision 2026/2003
15 May 2028	RED	EN 301 893 V2.1.1 withdrawn	Decision 2025/893

What if no harmonised standard covers your case?

Three common situations:

The product is novel, with no dedicated product standard. Under the EMC Directive the usual route is the generic standards (EN 61000-6-x) with a documented rationale and a product risk analysis.
The standard exists but is not cited (a recent CENELEC or ETSI edition, or a CISPR edition not yet adopted). It may be applied, but it gives no presumption; the technical file must argue conformity.
No relevant standard exists. The manufacturer demonstrates conformity through its own analysis and tests against the state of the art.

What each directive allows in those cases differs:

Directive	Without cited harmonised standards
EMC	Internal production control (Annex II) remains available; EU-type examination (Annex III) is an option (Article 14)
LVD	Presumption can also come from IEC safety provisions published under Article 13, or, failing those, from the national standards of the Member State of manufacture (Article 14)
RED	Article 3(1): internal production control still possible. Article 3(2) and 3(3): notified body mandatory (Article 17(4))

Technical standards vs. harmonised standards

A distinction that comes up in audit:

A standard is a technical specification adopted by a recognised standardisation body, "with which compliance is not compulsory" (Regulation 1025/2012, Article 2(1)).
A harmonised standard is a European standard adopted on a Commission request (Article 2(1)(c)). Presumption starts only when its reference is published in the OJEU for a given directive.

A standard can be harmonised under one directive and not another: EN 62311:2008 is in the LVD list but not in the RED list; EN 55035:2017 is cited with A11:2020 under the EMC Directive and without it under the RED.

Amended standards (A1, A2, A11)

A1, A2, A3... transpose amendments of the international standard (IEC, CISPR).
A11, A12, A13... are CENELEC amendments with no international counterpart, typically European modifications.

The cited reference includes them. EN 55032:2015 alone is not an entry in the EMC list; EN 55032:2015 with A11:2020 is. A DoC that drops the amendment declares a reference that is not the one cited.

How do you reference standards in the EU DoC?

Each directive words the DoC item slightly differently:

Directive	Annex IV / VI wording on standards
EMC 2014/30/EU, Annex IV point 6	"References to the relevant harmonised standards used, including the date of the standard, or references to the other technical specifications, including the date of the specification"
LVD 2014/35/EU, Annex IV	"References to the relevant harmonised standards used or references to the other technical specifications in relation to which conformity is declared"
RED 2014/53/EU, Annex VI	Same, plus: "References must be listed with their identification number and version and, where applicable, date of issue"

Example for a mains-powered product without radio (EMC, LVD, RoHS), using only cited references:

EN 55032:2015/A11:2020
EN 55035:2017/A11:2020
EN 61000-3-2:2014
EN 61000-3-3:2013
EN 62368-1:2014/AC:2015
EN IEC 63000:2018

Example for a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth product (RED):

EN 300 328 V2.2.2
EN 301 893 V2.2.1
EN 301 489-17 V3.3.1
EN 55035:2017
EN 18031-1:2024

Note that EN 301 489-1 does not appear: it is not cited, and the presumption comes through EN 301 489-17. The test report can still list it as applied. An imprecise reference ("EN 55032" with no year) makes the DoC unverifiable, and a reference whose withdrawal date has passed no longer carries presumption.

Tracking evolutions: process to stay current

Watch the L series of the OJEU for amendments to each decision that concerns your products, and read the withdrawal dates they set.
Keep a per-product register of the references cited in each DoC and their status (cited, in coexistence until a date, withdrawn).
Plan the transition before a withdrawal date: which products need retesting, which DoCs and technical files change.

Claims the texts contradict

Common claim (including earlier versions of this page)	What the texts say
EN IEC 62368-1:2020/A11:2020 is the harmonised reference under the LVD	Decision 2023/2723 (consolidated 30 April 2026) cites only EN 62368-1:2014 and EN 62368-1:2014/AC:2015
EN 62209-1 and EN 62209-2 are the RED SAR methods	The RED list cites EN 50360 and EN 50566 (and EN 50385, EN 50401); no EN 62209 standard is cited
EN 62311 is a RED Article 3(1)(a) standard	EN 62311:2008 is cited under the LVD; it is not in Decision 2022/2191
EN 301 489-1 V2.2.3 goes in the DoC as a harmonised standard	EN 301 489-1 is not cited; the cited parts (such as -17 V3.3.1) refer to it as a normative reference
EN IEC 61000-3-2:2019/A1:2021 and EN 61000-3-3:2013/A1:2019/A2:2021 are the EMC references	The EMC list cites EN 61000-3-2:2014 and EN 61000-3-3:2013; nothing has been added since June 2022
EN 301 489-3 covers SRD up to 1 GHz	The cited V2.3.2 covers SRD from 9 kHz to 246 GHz
EN 60601-1 and EN 62841-1 are LVD standards	Medical electrical equipment is outside the LVD (Annex II); EN 62841-1 is cited under the Machinery Directive
A harmonised standard is one published in the OJEU	Regulation 1025/2012 defines it by the Commission request; OJEU publication is what triggers presumption
Without harmonised standards you can always self-declare	Under the RED, Article 17(4) requires a notified body for Article 3(2) and 3(3) when cited standards are not fully applied

Key takeaways

The obligation rests on the essential requirements, not on the standards.
Presumption comes only from the reference cited in the OJEU list for that directive, with its amendments and within its dates.
The cited editions can be years older than the latest CENELEC edition, especially under the EMC Directive (frozen since June 2022) and for EN 62368-1 under the LVD.
Under the RED, skipping or restricting a cited standard for 3(2) or 3(3) changes the conformity assessment route.
The DoC must carry the exact reference, version and amendments.

For practical implementation, see Certification procedure and Required tests.