Standards change tracker
Harmonised standards are not set in stone: editions are updated, new standards replace old ones, and standards are withdrawn from the EU Official Journal. This guide explains why that can become dangerous for your CE marking and how the standards change tracker in CE-Copilot helps you keep an eye on the standards you apply.
Why changes to standards are dangerous in the CE process
Harmonised standards are not static. Editions are revised, new standards replace older ones, and standards are withdrawn from the EU Official Journal (OJEU). Anyone who applies a harmonised standard refers to a specific version of it. Precisely that version can change without the manufacturer actively noticing.
If an applied harmonised standard is withdrawn from the Official Journal or its transition period expires, the presumption of conformity may lapse. The conformity assumed until then is no longer covered automatically. The problem is not that the machine becomes unsafe overnight, but that the legal relief of relying on the harmonised standard disappears, and without active monitoring you may not even notice.
Monitoring the EU Official Journal manually is laborious and error-prone: the relevant publications are spread across various decisions, and smaller manufacturers and SMEs in particular rarely have the capacity to check this continuously. This is exactly where a targeted change tracker comes in.
Presumption of conformity and state of the art
Applying a harmonised standard triggers the so-called presumption of conformity: it is presumed that the essential requirements covered by the standard are met. This presumption is tied to the version cited in the Official Journal: if that version changes or is withdrawn, the basis of your argument shifts as well.
Independently of this, the manufacturer must keep its products at the state of the art. At the latest for follow-on series and for substantial modifications of a machine, updated standards must be taken into account. Anyone working with an outdated version of a standard risks that their documentation no longer reflects the recognised state of the art.
For the CE process this means: it is not enough to identify the applicable standards once. You need to know when something changes in the standards you apply, continuously and without having to watch the entire body of standards yourself.
The standards change tracker in CE-Copilot
The tracker is deliberately lean and concentrates on the essentials: subscribe to selected standards and be informed of amendments or withdrawal. Below you will find the features, each with its concrete advantage and the benefit for your work.
Targeted subscription to individual standards by standard number
You subscribe to exactly the harmonised standards that matter for your products, by their standard number, and manage all subscriptions in one place instead of watching the EU Official Journal (OJEU) by hand.
You keep track of every standard that matters to you without having to look things up in the Official Journal yourself on a regular basis.
Automatic alerts on amendment or withdrawal
If a subscribed standard is amended or withdrawn, CE-Copilot automatically generates an alert, additionally as an e-mail notification if you wish.
You learn promptly when something changes in a standard you apply and can check whether your conformity is still covered.
One-click subscription straight from the standards finder
The standards identified for a project can be subscribed to with a single click directly from the standards finder, without entering standard numbers again by hand.
The standards you have identified for a project anyway are monitored continuously, with no extra effort.
History of triggered alerts
All alerts triggered for your subscribed standards are recorded chronologically and remain available for review.
You have evidence that you actively followed changes to standards (helpful towards auditors, customers and in the event of a claim).
Who benefits from the standards tracker?
SMEs & machine builders
Protection against updates to standards that the market demands automatically, without a standards subscription of your own.
Series machinery & product lines
If a product line runs for years, standards change in the middle of production. Alerts show in good time from when a new edition applies to future units.
Special-purpose machinery
On long-term orders the standards landscape can change between order and delivery; this becomes visible automatically.
External CE consultants
A maintenance service for existing clients: an annual review of whether conformity continues to hold.
In detail per audience: CE software by audience
Keep an eye on your standards
Subscribe to the harmonised standards that matter to you and be informed of amendments or withdrawal from the EU Official Journal, by e-mail if you wish. Cancel monthly, no annual subscription.