What do CE and RED 2014/53/EU mean for wireless remote controls?
RED 2014/53/EU is the EU Radio Equipment Directive. The Article 3 essential requirements are health and safety (3.1), EMC and the efficient use of the radio spectrum (3.2), and additional requirements for certain classes (3.3); the cybersecurity and data protection points 3.3 (d)-(f) are mandatory from 1 August 2025. The CE marking is the manufacturer's responsibility.
RED is the EU directive applied to every device that emits radio; wireless crane remote controls are within its scope too. Conformity is established through three essential requirements:
- Article 3.1: health and safety — electrical safety and exposure.
- Article 3.2: EMC and the efficient use of the radio spectrum. For short range devices this requirement is generally met through the harmonised standard ETSI EN 300 220 (25 MHz - 1000 MHz SRD).
- Article 3.3: additional requirements for certain device classes; points (d)-(f) on cybersecurity and data protection have become mandatory from 1 August 2025.
The conformity assessment route depends on whether the harmonised standards have been applied in full: if they are applied in full the manufacturer may choose the internal production control route; otherwise a Notified Body comes into play.
The CE marking is not a quality award but the manufacturer's declaration of conformity with all relevant directives, and the responsibility rests with the manufacturer. In a system assessed as machinery, machinery safety legislation and the relevant electrical standards also apply separately.
The RED conformity of a particular product is verified only from the manufacturer's EU Declaration of Conformity and technical file; if there is no declaration on the product page, conformity must not be assumed.
The full topic: Wireless remote control installation: pairing, relay, safety