Page 20 - Horizon Han22

UKCA/CE Marking for importers and exporters
Importing from Northern Ireland:
Northern Ireland remains in the UK, so you might expect its product marking regime to be the same as in GB. This is not the case because of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which protects barrier-free trade within the island of Ireland. Consequently, most NI rules relating to manufactured goods are aligned with EU regulations rather than GB regulations. In NI, therefore, products are CE marked.
Furthermore, the Northern Ireland Protocol gives NI businesses unfettered access to the GB market. As a result, NI manufacturers can sell CE marked products in GB.
This is the only situation in which CE marked products can be imported to GB. Beware, this is only for goods manufactured in NI. It is not a ‘back door’ to the GB market for CE marked products that have been manufactured elsewhere and imported to NI.
Exporting to Northern Ireland:
Northern Ireland remains part of the UK, yet goods exported from GB to NI must be CE marked. For the avoidance of doubt, note that UKCA marked products cannot be sold in NI.
When supplying machinery that complies with the Machinery Directive, GB businesses must name someone on the DoC or DoI who is responsible for compiling the technical file. This person must be established in the EU, so can no longer be the GB manufacturer for machines sold to NI.
If products are conformity assessed by a UK Approved Body, then the product must display both the CE and the UKNI mark, not just the UKNI mark. UK Approved Bodies can still act as Notified Bodies for products being CE/UKNI marked for NI.
20. UKCA Marking
Importing from the rest of the world:
Since the UK left the EU, it has signed trading agreements with numerous nations and blocs around the world. These focus on quotas and tariffs, so imported goods must comply with UKCA marking requirements regardless of where they originated.
Some manufactures may have previously assumed that minor non-compliances with the CE marking process would be unlikely to cause a problem.
Now, however, incorrect accompanying documentation could easily result in goods being held up at customs.
Exporting to the EU:
GB manufacturers exporting to the EU need to CE mark products almost exactly as before. For machines CE marked to the Machinery Directive, it is no longer acceptable to name a person in the UK as being authorised to compile the technical file because the UK is no longer in the EU. The person named on the DoC – or Declaration of Incorporation (DoI) for partly completed machinery – must be established in the EEA (European Economic Area). Where third-party conformity assessment by an EU Notified Body is necessary, assessment bodies based in the UK are no longer recognised by the EU. Accreditations should have been transferred to EU Notified Bodies already, but manufacturers should check this has been done and, if not, obtain EU certification as a matter of urgency.
Horizon - Taking your international trade further.
Horizon issue 2.indd 20 14/12/2022 14:49:35