The European Commission has recast the Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC). The aim was to convert the directive into a European regulation that would be directly applicable in all the EU Member States. At the same time, the new regulation has been aligned with the New Legislative Framework (NLF).
Apart from this, new technological developments such as artificial intelligence, autonomy, and networking were taken into account when the fundamental safety and health protection requirements set out in the directive were updated.
In particular, the new regulation specifies requirements for digital and AI-driven machines, and autonomous systems because they have not been covered adequately by the legal norms in place to date. Harmonised standards and national provisions will give concrete form to these requirements. An overview of the changes and the progress made in implementing them can be found in baua: Aktuell 4/2024 on page 6 (in German).
The new European Machinery Regulation ((EU) 2023/1230) is to be applied for the placing of machines on the market as of 20 January 2027. This date and other deadlines are to be found in the Corrigendum to Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 of 4 July 2023.
Since there is no transitional period, machines will continue being placed on the market under the current Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC) until 19 January 2027! Please note that some requirements that concern the Commission and the Member States in particular are to be implemented prior to 20 January 2027.