In a recent revised announcement UK Government confirmed that the deadline for ending recognition of the CE mark has been extended to 30 June 2025.  This was welcome news ahead of the New Year, albeit at the eleventh hour as it alleviated any concerns around immediate availability of product.  Guidance published in the New Year to clarify the position indicates a reversal of policy on recognition of EU test and assessments at ACVP 3 level and may open the flood gates to re-testing of existing product being imported.  The guidance offers an amnesty that there will be no enforcement on anyone who has or is in the process of making the transition to UKCA marking using EU Test data.

Commenting on the changes, FIS Iain McIlwee stated:

“It feels like three steps forward and two back.  This reversal of policy around recognition creates more uncertainty and an unusual situation where Government has written legislation, aspects of which it does not intend to enforce (at this stage), however, it leaves us with more questions than answers and we have simply kicked the can down the road.  We can only hope that this is part of a wider strategy and the negotiations ongoing have re-opened the door to mutual recognition which is what we have been calling for from the outset”.

You can read the full guidance from government here

To help with planning, FIS has updated its Conformity Marking – How-to guidance note. This can be downloaded here.