CE marking is the producer’s declaration that a given product placed on the market meets the essential requirements, which are most often specified in applicable regulations to the Act of 30 August 2002 on the conformity assessment system (Journal of Laws of 2004 No. 204 item 2087 and of 2005 No. 64 item 565). The Act has transposed into the Polish law the so-called New Approach Directives which relate to more than twenty groups of products, including toys, household appliances and audio/video devices, personal protection means, machines.

In contradiction to the wider public opinion, CE marking:

• is not a commercial proof of quality,
• is not a safety certificate,
• does not indicate that the product was manufactured in the European Union.

The CE marking symbolises the conformity of the product with the applicable EU requirements imposed on the manufacturer. Such requirements concern not only products’ safety but also the emission of electromagnetic interference, noise or electric power consumption. This way, the consumer buying a CE marked product in any EU Member State may be certain that it can be used safely and smoothly in his/her own country.

In Poland the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection is responsible for carrying out the general surveillance of products in respect of their conformity with essential safety requirements. In this respect, the Office cooperates with specialized agencies:

• Trade Inspection,
• National Labour Inspectorate,
• Inspection of Environmental Protection,
• Office of Railway Transport,
• Office of Electronic Communications,
• State Mining Authority,
• Maritime offices,
• Construction surveillance,
• Road Transport Inspection.

These specialized authorities are entitled to carry out inspections and administrative proceedings on their own initiative or upon the Office’s request. They cooperate with customs authorities which verify products imported from non-EU countries. The Office’s tasks shall include:

• issuing an opinion on periodical inspection plans of specialized agencies,
• providing specialized agencies with information on products which do not comply with essential requirements,
• maintaining the Register of products non-compliant with essential requirements.

The court may impose a fine of up to PLN 100 thousand on an enterprise which:

• places product on the market which does not fulfill the essential requirements,
• affixes the CE marking on the product considered as non-compliant with the essential requirements,
• affixes on the product a mark similar to CE marking,
• places product on the market without required CE marking.