CE Marked items can't be imported to the UK from Jan 1st 2023

[pvision]

There are some changes from today for all electronic devices imported to the UK. Came as a surprise to me, but maybe the wider community is better-informed than I

The changes were implemented on 1st Jan 2021 with a 1-year grace period for some items. From today many, if not all, CE-marked items may not be sold into the UK

UK-market devices need a new UKCA mark which replaces CE. Obviously, and predictably, the new "standard" is not expected to diverge from CE so we will have CE-tested & approved devices under a new badge, thereby adding cost & inconvenience for zero benefit

Goes without saying this is a "Brexit Benefit"

I ordered three Meanwell PSUs from Mouser before Xmas and the order has been cancelled. I looked at buying some Sparkfun products from Mouser and they're no longer saleable to the UK

More info here:
https://www.conformance.co.uk/ce-marking-for-products/what-brexit-means-for-ce-marking
Hopefully I am overstating the impact of this, and it won't be a problem. But..

 

[abbey road d enfer]

Hopefully I am overstating the impact of this, and it won't be a problem. But..

I have a few friends in the UK that have consistently expressed they were optimistic about the consequences of Brexit. So far I don't think their predictions have been sanctified by facts...

 

[JohnRoberts]

I would be surprised if there weren't bumps in the road.... Perhaps a better metric would be value of Pound vs. Euro, employments, GDP growth, etc.

I don't pay as close attention to across the pond as residents living there, so good luck.

JR

PS; Maybe also look at electricity prices if driving an EV to save money.

 

[zamproject]

That's crazy

I don't see how they can hold this restriction more than very few days if there is no effective and practical substitution ?!?
There is so many critical devices (computer, network, medical etc...) that need constant supply to work at a country scale.
For sure one private customer can hold the purchase of a new laptop, but what about industry and manufacturing with imported sub part/assembly.

Good luck !
Zam

 

[pvision]

That's crazy

I don't see how they can hold this restriction more than very few days if there is no effective and practical substitution ?!?
There is so many critical devices (computer, network, medical etc...) that need constant supply to work at a country scale.
For sure one private customer can hold the purchase of a new laptop, but what about industry and manufacturing with imported sub part/assembly.

Good luck !
Zam

There is an ongoing exemption for some medical gear but the entire electrical & electronic industry will need to change every product brought into the UK that needs to be CE-marked

I am sure the parallel / grey market / eBay / Amazon / Market Trader market will just ignore it

One area that will be hit hard is the low-volume market. Boutique gear from the EU will just dry up - that is, if it is still arriving here after VAT changes post-Brexit

If anyone is in any doubt, Brexit has, and will continue to be, a disaster for everyone in the UK. It is particularly bad for small businesses, exporters and musicians

 

[ruffrecords]

Hopefully I am overstating the impact of this, and it won't be a problem. But..

Storm in a teacup. From www.gov.uk

"The government intends to introduce legislation which sets out that, in most cases, if your product has been placed on the GB market with a CE mark before 11pm on 31 December 2024, it does not need to be remarked or recertified to UKCA requirements and can continue to circulate on the GB market until it reaches its end user. This also includes where the CE marked product was conformity assessed and certified under EU conformity assessment procedures before 11pm on 31 December 2024."

Cheers

Ian

 

[sahib]

This is another layer of bureaucracy and another layer of cost. What benefit could that bring other than boosting the income of one particular sector-test houses?

A similar practice has also come into force under the name of "Making Tax Digital". As a small business I used to be able to submit my VAT return by logging onto my HMRC account, filling a single page form with eight boxes, click the send button and boom. All done. Now, I have to fill exactly the same form using a 3rd party software. And as you would guess, the 3rd party charges between £5.00 and £7.50 for each submission. There are free versions but you will need to appoint the 3rd party to submit it on your behalf, and accept their terms and conditions. This involves handing over your privacy.

I can not tell you how angry I am. I have not done my last return yet. I will go through the list of 3rd party software providers to see if there is one that is open source. I am fuming.

This is simply another privatisation. I do not have a partisan politics. I will vote for anything that I think is right. But this Tory government must be gotten rid of.

 

[Matt Syson]

The 'story' is a little more complicated in that it is effectively the UK Government placing the limitations on UK purchasers by 'decreeing' that CE marking and testing is not now 'adequate' for the UK. As this 'requirement' really starts to bite there will likely be some backtracking by the UK Government as the vast array of 'CE marked' products that the UK has purchased over the years gets ever more complicated and expensive to import. As Ian says it is a bit of a storm in a teacup however it will be the uncertainty that kills off many industries.

 

[Tubetec]

Definately dont underestimate the effect of this on the music industry , Ive seen several US artists who avoid touring the UK in recent times , typically they wont visit Ireland either . The paperwork must make it more hassle than its worth.

It will also hurt DIY and small enterprise who happen to use EU supplied parts , with the import duties and taxes and now strict rules its probably going be game over for some.

 

[abbey road d enfer]

Definately dont underestimate the effect of this on the music industry , Ive seen several US artists who avoid touring the UK in recent times , typically they wont visit Ireland either .

Ireland is a collateral here, I suppose. So they'll probably completely skip Europe as well, since the UK shows are traditionally the most cashworthy...

 

[abbey road d enfer]

Storm in a teacup. From www.gov.uk

"The government intends to introduce legislation which sets out that, in most cases, if your product has been placed on the GB market with a CE mark before 11pm on 31 December 2024, it does not need to be remarked or recertified to UKCA requirements and can continue to circulate on the GB market until it reaches its end user. This also includes where the CE marked product was conformity assessed and certified under EU conformity assessment procedures before 11pm on 31 December 2024."

I assume "placed on the GB market" means the generic product being registered with a CE mark, not the product being imported before Dec 31 2024.
Anyway, we had a similar situation with the CE mark, when there was a 3-year period of respite between the announcement and the actual obligation. Progressively, during this period, products that did not have the CE marking were rejected by consumers. I remember these times as those that had products with CE stickers on them.

 

[Tubetec]

Several US acts abandoned touring the UK and Ireland entirely since things are back after covid and Brexit , they still came to mainland Europe . The bigger pop acts still come to play , its the smaller less well known stuff that been hit mainly .
Storm in a tea cup or collateral damage call it as you like , it still means close on 75 million at the edge of Europe dont get to see certain artists , many who were regular visitors before Brexshit .

 

[deedee]

...back on topic, it does indeed look like a storm in a teacup. "The government intends to...", indeed. Given the U turns we've seen lately I'd be quite surprised if this wasn't quietly dropped.

Brexshit, though. There's no denying that we'd all got tired of that boring old GB sticker on the back of our cars - it's a joy to be able to proudly display UK in its place now. If anything's going to keep the Kingdom united, that's your man right there. That and the blue/black passport, eh! Wave that and you're straight to the back of the queue. Front! I mean front! Did I say "back"?

 

[Newmarket]

Definately dont underestimate the effect of this on the music industry , Ive seen several US artists who avoid touring the UK in recent times , typically they wont visit Ireland either . The paperwork must make it more hassle than its worth.

It will also hurt DIY and small enterprise who happen to use EU supplied parts , with the import duties and taxes and now strict rules its probably going be game over for some.

Touring is different issue to product compliance tbh.
And parts / components are not themselves subject to EMC legislation / directives.

 

[Whoops]

If anyone is in any doubt, Brexit has, and will continue to be, a disaster for everyone in the UK. It is particularly bad for small businesses, exporters and musicians

I'm not really into the details of all or most of the impact of Brexit in people in the UK.
As I live in EU, I'm normally only concerned about EU politics and Laws.

But what I can say is that before Brexit I bought a lot of products from the UK, it was probably the European country I bought the most from.
After Brexit I never ordered or bought any product at all from the UK, neither I plan on doing so (high import custom fees/VAT and shipping costs). I know more people in EU that completely avoid buying anything from the UK.
So I'm sure that alone will have a big impact.

Brexit also helped developing small businesses and productions in EU, products that once were imported from the UK and after Brexit it became beneficial to produce them inside EU.

What I feel at the moment is that it was not bad to EU at all and probably Germany above all benefited from it.

 

[warpie]

But what I can say is that before Brexit I bought a lot of products from the UK, it was probable the European country I bought the most from.
After Brexit I never ordered or bought any product at all from the UK, neither I plan on doing so (high import custom fees/VAT and shipping costs).

Same here and it's really sad because I was quite happy with the goods/ service/ communication, etc...

I really feel sorry for the small companies I used to buy stuff from but unfortunately I simply cannot justify going through all the fuss for buying something that I can most likely find in EU.