Euralarm urges postponing end date of co-existence period for Low Voltage Directive standards

The pandemic not only affects the members of Euralarm, but also the external resources that work for them such as test houses and notified bodies. As a result of the crisis, the available resources (both internal and external) are significantly reduced, thereby causing delays and increasing project timescales.

By the end of this year, EN 62368-1 for the safety of electrical and electronic equipment within the field of audio, video, information and communication technology will come into force. To make sure the existing products will comply with EN 62368-1, many manufacturers have to convert and/or adapt their products.

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, manufacturers have already postponed these conversion/adaption projects or are otherwise experiencing disruption of the internal testing programmes. Others have been informed that outsourcing of the testing process would not be performed according to the planned schedule.

It's therefore impossible for the manufacturers of fire safety products, as well as security systems, to have all of their product portfolio compliant with EN 62368-1:2014 before the deadline of 20 December. This date was fixed by the European Commission long before the pandemic started.

In order to allow these companies to finish their testing and certification programmes, and therefore guarantee that products will fulfil the essential requirements of the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU (Commission Communication 2018/C 326/02 of 14.09.2018), Euralarm has urged the European Commission to consider postponing the end date of the co-existence period until 20 September next year. 

In other words, Euralarm is calling for the postponement of the end date of the co-existence period for EN 60950-1:2006 and EN 60065 by nine months.