Gas appliances

This directive aims to ensure a single Community market in appliances burning gaseous fuels by laying down the essential safety requirements and type-approval rules.

ACT

Council Directive 90/396/EEC of 29 June 1990 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to gas appliances [See amending acts].

SUMMARY

This Directive applies to:

• appliances burning gaseous fuels and used for cooking, heating, hot water production, refrigeration, lighting and washing, hereinafter referred to as "appliances"; burners using air under pressure and heating units fitted with such burners are treated as appliances;
• safety and control devices and subassemblies other than burners using air under pressure and heating units fitted with such burners, hereinafter referred to as "equipment".

Appliances designed specifically for use in an industrial process are excluded from the scope of the Directive.

Member States must ensure that the appliances specified are placed on the market or brought into service only on condition that they do not jeopardise the safety of persons, domestic animals or property. The appliances and equipment must satisfy the essential requirements stipulated in Annex I.

Member States must not prohibit, restrict or impede the placing on the market or the putting into service of appliances which satisfy the essential requirements set out above.

If a Member State finds that, under normal conditions of use, an appliance fitted with an CE marking poses a risk to the safety of persons, domestic animals or property, it shall take all the steps necessary to have the appliance withdrawn or to prohibit or restrict the placing on the market of such an appliance. The Member States shall forthwith notify the Commission of these measures.

Member States shall presume that all appliances and equipment conforming to the national standards implementing the relevant harmonised standards comply with the essential requirements.

Member States must publish their national standards implementing the relevant harmonised standards and communicate these to the Commission.

The annexes to the Directive give details of the essential requirements, procedures for attestation of conformity, use of the "CE mark" etc.

Directive 93/68/EEC amends Directive 89/336/EEC and other directives on the technical harmonisation of product markings. It requires the CE mark to be used.

The Directive requires the CE mark to be affixed to gas appliances and to a list of other products (construction products, simple pressure vessels, personal protective equipment, toys, telecommunications terminal equipment, hot-water boilers, electrical equipment etc.) likely to fall simultaneously within the scope of several technical harmonisation directives.

RELATED ACTS

Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council relating to appliances burning gaseous fuels [COM(2007) 633 final - Not published in the Official Journal].

Notified bodies

The NANDO-IS database will enable you to find the European notified bodies as well as third country bodies which are responsible for carrying out the conformity assessment procedures referred to in the New Approach directives.

Communication from the Commission publishing lists of titles and references of harmonised European standards conforming to the main requirements of Directive 90/396/EC: Official Journal C 280 of 23.11.2007.

See also

Further information on gas appliances can be found on the site of the Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry.

Last updated: 10.01.2008