Hello Scott, For the Low Voltage Directive, the information necessary to operate the product safely must be in Greek. You are not required to translate or even provide information on how to operate the product as long as the lack of instructions would not create a health or safety risk. Requirements would be similar under the EMC Directive. Only instructions required by the directive are required to be translated. This is typically the requirement for most Directives.
Forgive this example as it falls under the R&TTE Directive, but it is the first one that comes to mind. Let's use the example of selling a smart phone in Greece, and that phone had a replaceable lithium battery. You would need to provide Greek instructions telling the user not to physically damage the battery or dispose of it in a fire. You would need to provide the battery replacement instructions in Greek. However, you would not need to provide any instructions on how to set up an e-mail or Facebook account on the phone. You would not need to provide Greek instructions on how to use the camera. It is legally permissible to leave the user ignorant about non-safety related functions of a device. A product such as a USB mouse may require no translated instructions. This type of device typically has no significant hazards that the user needs to be aware of. It's unlikely that specific precautions would be need for EMC compliance. However, I am not an expert on RoHS or WEEE. Those Directives may still require information to the user on proper disposal of the product or other environmental concerns. That being said, the user experience can be significantly enhanced by providing translated instructions. For simple products, basic instructions can often be depicted in images that require no translation. Regards, Ted The opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of my employer. From: Scott Xe [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2015 9:25 PM To: Ted Eckert Cc: [email protected] Subject: Re: [PSES] LVD & EMC for Greece Hi Ted, Thanks for your useful advice. Having examined some products for Greece, the packaging and unit are mostly in English rather Greek. Did you mean any information required for the user is the contents of operating manual? Generally Greek understand English. What about the compliant test reports as part of TCF? Must be Greek or English is acceptable? Thanks and regards, Scott On 12 Jul, 2015, at 6:06 am, Ted Eckert <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Greece will follow the EU requirements for the LVD and EMC Directive for the foreseeable future. The main difference for Greece is that any information required for the user will need to be in Greek. Greece uses the Europlug and Schuko, so you can typically ship products with a continental Europe power cord without creating a special version for Greece. Regardless of the outcome of negotiations in Brussels, Greece will likely remain a member of the EU even if the country is forced to abandon the Euro. Ted Eckert The opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.. From: IBM Ken [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2015 11:56 AM To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Subject: Re: [PSES] LVD & EMC for Greece Get payment in advance before shipping product? :-D On Sat, Jul 11, 2015 at 12:34 PM, Scott Xe <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Understand Greece is a member of EU and they should follow the EU directives. Is there any specific requirement from Greece? If so, could you point me to where to get the detail in specific requirements. Thanks and regards, Scott - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://www.ieee-pses.org/list.html (including how to unsubscribe) List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Mike Cantwell <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher: <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> David Heald: <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://www.ieee-pses.org/list.html (including how to unsubscribe)<http://www.ieee-pses.org/list.html> List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Mike Cantwell <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> David Heald <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://www.ieee-pses.org/list.html (including how to unsubscribe)<http://www.ieee-pses.org/list.html> List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Mike Cantwell <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> David Heald <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <[email protected]> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://www.ieee-pses.org/list.html (including how to unsubscribe) List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas <[email protected]> Mike Cantwell <[email protected]> For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher: <[email protected]> David Heald: <[email protected]>
