The United States has certified product safety through Underwriters Laboratory for many years and now Europe certifies product safety through impartial third party testing in facilities worldwide. ENEC, which stands for European Norms Electrical Certification, is becoming more important for electrical products sold to European consumers because that marking means the product was tested for safety rather than simply being declared safe by the manufacturer.

A product that has earned the ENEC marking has proven that it is in compliance with European norms in safety and performance standards through independent testing by the testing company located nearest to the manufacturer. To keep the ENEC marking, products must be retested every two years and manufacturers are inspected to ensure products in mass production meet the same standards as the ones that were actually tested.

The procedure to obtain and keep the ENEC mark includes testing for certification by an independent third party, inspection of the manufacturing facilities on an annual basis, regular monitoring of the product and its production, marking products with the ENEC logo, making sure the certification is renewed every two years and monitoring the marketplace where the products are sold regularly.

The mark can be expected to be found on lamps, home appliances and such electronics as computers, televisions and mobile phones. Other products include IT equipment, connecting devices, capacitors and safety transformers. Consumers purchasing products bearing the ENEC marking can be confident that the product has met the requirements of safety for European electrical devices and conforms to the EU low-voltage-directive.

ENEC was established over twenty years ago and is working toward becoming the safety standard for all electrical and electronic devices on the European market. Some advantages for companies that have their products certified are a reduction in the cost of licensing and as evidence the product did meet safety standards in the event of product liability claims.

At this time, ENEC markings are not required as are the CE markings but are an important marking for consumers who want the safest possible electrical products to look for when shopping for these products.  Products with the ENEC marking are recognized as being high quality products that meet the strict Europe wide standards of safety that the CE marking alone simply can't guarantee.

Simply stated, the ENEC marking is the European equivalent of the UL marking in the United States. If a product does not have the UL marking but does have the ENEC marking, the product has been tested and certified for safety just the same.