The Swedish city of Gothenburg hosted last 1 and 2 June, respectively, meetings of the Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Compliance Association (R&TTECA) and of the notified bodies and empowered authorities in the scope of the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive of the European Association of Notified Bodies (EUANB). The gathering counted 72 participants, representing administrations, notified bodies, respective authorities, standardisation bodies and observers.
The following stand out among issues considered at the meetings:
- Presentation of the document with rules of procedure of the Radio Equipment Compliance Association (REDCA), which was approved. Those rules take effect on 1 January 2016; the R&TTECA rules will be discontinued starting on 13 June 2017;
- Presentation of the new R&TTECA website, which is only for the Association’s members and for the future Radio Equipment Directive (www.redca.eu
http://www.redca.eu/). This website does not replace the collaborative platform of the European Commission (EC), the Communication and Information Resource Centre for Administrations, Businesses and Citizens (CIRCABC).
Plans call for a workshop involving EUANB, R&TTECA and ETSI to be held this coming 4 November in Sophia Antipolis to present the current situation of standards being developed for the two directives (RED and EMCD).
It was also decided that the following harmonised standards will be published by 15 March 2016:
- Digital Terrestrial TV Broadcast Receivers: EN 303 340;
- Sound Broadcast Receivers: EN 303 345;
- Radio equipment operating below 9 kHz.
It was also indicated that the new EMC Directive (2014/30/EU) will be applied as from 20 April 2016; there is no transition period, because there are no changes in its scope.
Regarding equipment that shifts from the R&TTED to the EMCD, i.e. telecommunications terminal equipment (non-radio equipment), it must be considered that all of them automatically shift from the R&TTE Directive to the EMC Directive (EMCD) and Low Voltage Directive (LVD) on 13 June 2016. There is no transition period in this case.
Lastly, it was noted that a guide for implementing the Radio Directive (RED) is being developed and should be finished before the directive is applied. The guide will be made available in all EU languages.
The next meeting will be held this coming 2-3 November in Nice, France.
