European Union Updates Machinery Standards With New Machinery Regulation

In a significant move to standardize machinery regulations across Europe, the European Union (EU) announced the publication of a new Machinery Regulation (MR) in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) on June 29. This announcement has far-reaching implications for the manufacturing sector and represents a push for higher standards in software, cybersecurity and cyber safety risks for machinery. Member states are expected to kick off the notification procedure starting January 20, 2024. By January 20, 2027, the new MR will come into full force. Certificates issued based on the previous Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC will remain valid either until their stated validity date or until the removal of presumption of conformity of the revoked harmonized standard, whichever occurs first. Formal conformity assessment procedures will continue to follow the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC until January 20, 2027. The new MR will replace the existing Machinery Directive, providing a unified set of requirements across all member states. Annex IV of the Machinery Directive, which pertains to high-risk machinery, has been restructured as Annex I in the MR.