General Standards
The Netherlands, the sixth-largest economy in the European Union, plays an important role as a European transportation hub, with a persistently high trade surplus, stable industrial relations, and moderate unemployment. Industry focuses on food processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A highly mechanized agricultural sector employs only 2% of the labor force but provides large surpluses for food-processing and underpins the country’s status as the world’s second largest agricultural exporter.
As a member of the EU, the Netherlands applies the product standards and certification approval processes developed by the European Union. The Treaty of Rome requires all EU members to incorporate approved EU directives into its national laws. Delays in implementing these Directives at the national level are common. As part of the program to establish common standards for all member countries, the EU regulates key product areas to protect the health and safety of consumers, as well as the environment.
The manufacturer or a representative must place a CE mark on all regulated products before they can be sold in the Netherlands. The applicable product testing and certification requirements for individual product categories are specified in the various EU Directives. The CE mark relates only to the mandatory health, safety, and environmental requirements established by the EU; it does not indicate conformity to European product standards. National marks of conformity with product standards remain compatible with the CE mark and both may be applied to the product. The CE mark replaces all national safety marks for the regulated products.
Product Certification
To sell products in the Netherlands, the international exporters are required to apply CE marking whenever their product is covered by specific product legislation. CE marking product legislation offers manufacturers a number of choices and requires decisions to determine which safety/health concerns need to be addressed, which conformity assessment module is best suited to the manufacturing process, and whether or not to use EU-wide harmonized standards.
Products manufactured to standards adopted by CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, and published in the Official Journal as harmonized standards, are presumed to conform to the requirements of EU Directives. The manufacturer then applies the CE marking and issues a declaration of conformity. With these, the product will be allowed to circulate freely within the EU. A manufacturer can choose not to use the harmonized EU standards, but then must demonstrate that the product meets the essential safety and performance requirements.
The CE marking is not intended to include detailed technical information on the product, but there must be enough information to enable the inspector to trace the product back to the manufacturer or the local contact established in the EU. This detailed information should not appear next to the CE marking, but rather on the declaration of conformity (which the manufacturer or authorized agent must be able to provide at any time, together with the product's technical file), or the documents accompanying the product.
Labeling and Marking
In general, the Netherlands closely follows EU labeling requirements and regulations. Differences occur primarily in relation to the labeling of agricultural and food products. Fordetailed information, please go to: http://www.fas.usda.gov/
With only minor exceptions, there are no general requirements for marking imported goods with the country of origin. Requirements for specific products should be obtained from the importer. The import, export, or transit of non-Dutch goods having markings that imply that the goods are of Dutch manufacture or origin is prohibited.
There are no regulations for the marking of shipping packages. Good shipping practice dictates that packages should bear the consignee's mark and be numbered unless the shipment is such that the content of the packages can be readily identified without numbers. Hallmarking of gold and silver articles is required before they can be offered for sale. Only small tolerances are allowable for manufacturing errors. The hallmarking may be done by a Netherlands hallmarking office after importation.
The Eco-Label
The EU eco-label is a voluntary label which the international exporters can display on products that meet high standards of environmental awareness. The eco-label is intended to be a marketing tool to encourage consumers to purchase environmentally-friendly products. The criteria for displaying the eco-label are strict, covering the entire lifespan of the product from its manufacture, use, and disposal. These criteria are reviewed every three to five years to take into account advances in manufacturing procedures. There are currently twenty-three different product groups, and approximately 250 licenses have been awarded for several hundred products.
CONTACTS
RVA
Raad voor Accreditatie
Postbus 2768
Mariaplaats 21D
3500 GT UTRECHT
Phone: + 31 30 239 4504
Fax: + 31 30 239 4539
Website: http://www.rva.nl
Email: jan.vander.poel@rva.nl
