Technical certification in the EEA 2026: what changes for companies exporting products

Key data

If your company manufactures or markets products that require technical certification to circulate in the European market, this decision directly affects you. Decision No. 74/2026 of the EEA Joint Committee, adopted on March 20, 2026 and published on June 25, 2026, amends Annex II of the EEA Agreement—which regulates technical regulations, standards, testing and certification—to incorporate new EU technical regulations.

The objective is to ensure that EEA countries not belonging to the EU—Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein—apply homogeneously the same technical standards that govern the single European market. This means that if your product is certified to circulate in the EU, the requirements that now apply in those three countries have also changed.

What does this regulation establish?

The European Economic Area Agreement allows Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein to participate in the EU single market without being member states. For this to work, Annex II of the Agreement must be updated periodically to reflect EU regulatory changes in technical matters.

Decision 74/2026 does precisely that: it incorporates into the EEA legal framework the new EU technical regulations on technical regulations, standards, testing and certification. This directly affects the requirements that products must meet to obtain or maintain their certificate of conformity and be able to circulate freely throughout the EEA.

In practice, when the EU approves new technical standards or modifies existing ones, non-EU EEA countries do not apply them automatically: they need the EEA Joint Committee to formally incorporate them through a decision like this one. From March 20, 2026, those new standards are also enforceable in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Economic and operational impact

The impact for companies is not abstract. There are three direct operational consequences:

• Potentially outdated certificates of conformity: If your product was certified under the previous technical standards and the new requirements incorporated by this decision are more stringent or different, that certificate may no longer be valid for the markets of Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.
• Risk of border blockade: Non-compliance with the new technical requirements can prevent the free movement of goods in the EEA. A product held at customs or rejected at destination entails direct costs for logistics, storage and, in the worst case, return or destruction.
• Need to contact notified bodies: If the standards applicable to your product have changed, it may be necessary to initiate a new conformity assessment process with a notified body, which involves additional time and cost.

The cost of inaction is greater than the cost of preventive review. A recertification process is costly, but much less than losing access to a market or suffering goods retention.

Who does it affect?

• Manufacturers of products that require CE marking or other technical certifications to circulate in the EEA.
• Importers who introduce products into the EEA market (including the three non-EU countries).
• Distributors and marketers who place products on the Norwegian, Icelandic or Liechtenstein markets.
• Spanish exporters who sell to Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein products subject to technical certification or testing requirements.
• Compliance managers and operations directors of companies with activities in the expanded EEA.
• Technical advisors and certification consultants who manage product compliance for clients with presence in the EEA.

Practical example

Imagine a Spanish company manufacturing electrical equipment that regularly exports to Norway. Its products are certified under the EU technical standards in force before March 20, 2026. With the entry into force of Decision 74/2026, Norway incorporates into its legal framework the new EU technical standards that this decision transfers to the EEA.

The compliance manager of that company must now: (1) identify which specific technical standards have been updated by this decision and whether they affect their electrical equipment; (2) verify whether current certificates of conformity cover the new requirements; and (3) if they do not, contact the corresponding notified body to initiate the certification update process before making the next shipment to Norway.

Failing to act in time could mean that the next batch of goods is rejected at destination for not complying with the technical standards now required in that country.

What should companies do now?

1. Identify whether your products are subject to technical certification in the EEA. If you manufacture, import or market products with CE marking, testing or certification requirements to circulate in Europe, this decision may affect you.
2. Review current certificates of conformity. Check whether the technical standards under which they were issued remain enforceable after the incorporation of the new EU standards into the EEA Agreement.
3. Consult with the corresponding notified body. If there is doubt about the validity of current certificates, contact the notified body that issued the certification to confirm whether it is necessary to update the conformity assessment.
4. Review contracts and delivery commitments with customers in Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. If there are planned shipments to these markets, ensure that the technical documentation will be in order before dispatch.
5. Document the review process. Keep a record of the checks performed and the conclusions reached, as evidence of due diligence in case of inspection or complaint.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/./legal-content/AUTO/?uri=OJ:L_202601326