UK indefinitely recognizes CE-marking due to industry resistance
The British government has decided to keep the EU’s CE product safety mark instead of replacing it with the UKCA mark by the end of 2024.
Despite having initially introduced its own UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) mark to show compliance with UK standards post-Brexit, the government faced significant opposition from manufacturers, who saw it as an unnecessary burden. Businesses would have had to obtain both the UKCA and CE marks for goods sold within the UK and the EU market, respectively.
The introduction of the UKCA mark had been postponed multiple times, with the most recent deadline of December 2024 now being scrapped. This indefinite extension of recognizing the CE mark within the UK is expected to reduce costs for businesses and benefit consumers by simplifying trade processes. The retention of the CE mark in the UK aligns with EU standards, further reducing the possibility of divergence between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, where the CE mark remains mandatory due to the Northern Ireland Protocol and Windsor Framework.
The government’s decision is part of a broader effort to implement smarter regulations that create an easier, less bureaucratic business environment. However, industry bodies had previously warned that the UKCA mark was causing unnecessary burdens due to dual certification regimes and insufficient capacity in the UK’s certification industry.