Get our free email newsletter

European Commission Extends the Validity of the 1998 Edition of EN 55022

The European Commission has extended the period of use of EN 55022 and its amendments as a harmonized standard until 1 October 2011.  The standard had been set to lose its status as a harmonized standard giving a presumption of conformity with the emission requirements of the European EMC and R&TTE Directives, on 1 October 2009.

The Commission has not yet extended the date by which amendment 1 to the 2006 edition has to be applied if the manufacturer chooses this edition of the standard, although it is understood that this decision is currently being reviewed.

The decision was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 21 August 2009 and may be viewed at

- Partner Content -

A Dash of Maxwell’s: A Maxwell’s Equations Primer – Part Two

Maxwell’s Equations are eloquently simple yet excruciatingly complex. Their first statement by James Clerk Maxwell in 1864 heralded the beginning of the age of radio and, one could argue, the age of modern electronics.

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2009:197:0003:0003:EN:PDF

This change means that until 1 October 2011, the following standards will provide a presumption of conformity with the EMC emission requirements of the directives:

EN 55022:1998 alone

EN 55022:1998 +A1:2000

EN 55022:1998 +A2:2003

- From Our Sponsors -

EN 55022:1998 +A1:2000 +A1:2003

EN 55022:2006 alone (but A1:2007 has to be applied after 1 October 2010 unless the Commission changes that date)

EN 55022:2006 +A1:2007

It is understood that the change results from a request by the power line telecommunications industry (who supply products allowing home networking over the mains wiring) to allow them to continue to use the 1998 edition of the standard.  The request was granted even though CENELEC, the European body responsible for the standard, confirmed that there are no differences in the test methods and limits for mains terminals between the 1998 and 2006 editions.  It appears that the industry objected to the flowchart for selecting the test method, Figure C.6 of the 2006 edition.

The decision was not related to requirements above 1 GHz, although continuing use of the 1998 edition will delay the introduction of those requirements until 2011.

Brian Jones is an independent EMC Consultant, specializing in compliance with European legislation and standards.  He is also secretary to the CENELEC EMC committee TC210, but is writing here in a personal capacity, and his views do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization.  He may be contacted at emc@brianjones.co.uk

Related Articles

Digital Sponsors

Become a Sponsor

Discover new products, review technical whitepapers, read the latest compliance news, and check out trending engineering news.

Get our email updates

What's New

- From Our Sponsors -

Sign up for the In Compliance Email Newsletter

Discover new products, review technical whitepapers, read the latest compliance news, and trending engineering news.