According to the EU principle of mutual recognition, all products that are lawfully marketed in one EU Member State may also be sold in all the other Member States without having to be harmonized with national technical regulations. The EU has taken a decision on Regulation (EC) No. 764/2008 for application of the above-mentioned principle. Contact points are to be established in all EU countries for this application. The government has, in accordance with the Regulation, appointed The National Board of Trade as the Swedish contact point. The Regulation and the contact points will make it easier for companies to sell their products within the EU. 

The actual implication of the principle is that producers selling a product that meets the technical requirements in one Member State, will also be able to sell the product in all the other EU countries. For example, a product that meets the Swedish requirements can be sold in another EU country without the need for adaption to the national legislation of that country. The only exceptions allowed for the Member States are in certain strictly regulated situations, such as environment, health or consumer protection.
Although the principle of mutual recognition has long been established within the EU through case law, it appears in fact that producers are not aware of the principle and therefore they often adapt their products to the technical requirements that apply in different Member States. Therefore the EU has now decided to adopt the Regulation on mutual recognition in order to remove these obstacles to trade and to improve free movement of goods. The regulation means, among other things, that an authority intending to take a decision that will limit the possibility of selling a product that is legally sold in another Member State, will be obliged to follow certain administrative routines and provide clear motivation for the decision, in cooperation with the established contact points.

Through the contact points in the EU Member States, authorities and companies can find out which technical regulations apply for a particular product in a particular EU country. The Swedish contact points will provide information about Swedish product regulations and also information about how to get in touch with the contact points in other countries.

Information regarding contacts point in other member states can be found at the Commissions webpage.