ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU

Last reviewed: October 2026 · Sources listed at the end of this page.

Directive 2014/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres — the "ATEX Equipment Directive" — replaced Directive 94/9/EC and has applied since 20 April 2016. ATEX (from ATmosphères EXplosibles) covers electrical and mechanical equipment, protective systems, safety devices, controlling devices, and regulating devices for use in atmospheres containing flammable gases, vapours, mists, or combustible dusts. Published as OJ L 96, 29.3.2014, p. 309.

The ATEX Equipment Directive 2014/34/EU is one of two ATEX legal instruments. The other — Directive 1999/92/EC (the "ATEX Workplace Directive") — addresses employer obligations to protect workers in workplaces with explosive atmospheres and is outside the CE marking framework.

Legal status and timeline

• Adoption: 26 February 2014.
• Date of application: 20 April 2016.
• Repeal of Directive 94/9/EC: 20 April 2016.
• Status (October 2026): applies, as amended by Directive (EU) 2024/2749 (emergency procedures for an internal market emergency, applicable from 30 May 2026).

Scope: products covered

Article 1 applies to: equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres; safety devices, controlling devices, and regulating devices intended for use outside potentially explosive atmospheres but required for or contributing to the safe functioning of equipment and protective systems with respect to risks of explosion; components intended to be incorporated into equipment and protective systems.

"Explosive atmosphere" is defined as a mixture with air, under atmospheric conditions, of flammable substances in the form of gases, vapours, mists, or dusts in which, after ignition has occurred, combustion spreads to the entire unburned mixture (Article 2(4)); a "potentially explosive atmosphere" is an atmosphere which could become explosive due to local and operational conditions (Article 2(5)).

Exclusions (Article 1(2))

• Medical devices intended for use in a medical environment;
• Equipment and protective systems where the explosion hazard results exclusively from the presence of explosive substances or unstable chemical substances;
• Equipment intended for use in domestic and non-commercial environments where potentially explosive atmospheres may only rarely be created, solely as a result of accidental leakage of fuel gas;
• Personal protective equipment covered by PPE Regulation 2016/425;
• Seagoing vessels and mobile offshore units together with equipment on board such vessels or units;
• Means of transport: vehicles and their trailers intended solely for transporting passengers by air, road, rail or water networks, and means of transport designed for transporting goods by air, by public road or rail networks or by water; vehicles intended for use in a potentially explosive atmosphere are not excluded;
• Equipment covered by Article 346(1)(b) TFEU (military equipment).

Equipment groups and categories (Annex I)

Annex I classifies equipment into two groups and several categories within each group:

• Group I — Mining. Equipment intended for use in underground parts of mines and surface installations of such mines endangered by firedamp and/or combustible dust.
  • Category M1 — very high level of protection, remains functional in the explosive atmosphere even with rare malfunctions;
  • Category M2 — high level of protection, intended to be de-energised in the event of an explosive atmosphere.
• Group II — Other industries. Equipment intended for use in other places liable to be endangered by explosive atmospheres.
  • Category 1 — very high level of protection; for areas where explosive atmospheres are present continuously, for long periods or frequently (zones 0/20);
  • Category 2 — high level of protection; for areas where they are likely to occur occasionally (zones 1/21);
  • Category 3 — normal level of protection; for areas where they are unlikely or, if they occur, infrequent and short-lived (zones 2/22).

Annex I itself does not refer to zones: they come from the workplace classification under Directive 1999/92/EC. The manufacturer marks the equipment with its group and category; the employer classifies the zones and selects equipment of a suitable category.

Worked examples

Essential health and safety requirements (Annex II)

Annex II sets the essential health and safety requirements:

• 1. Common requirements for equipment and protective systems. Including selection of materials, design and construction, marking (1.0.5), potential ignition sources, hazards arising from external effects, safety-related devices, and integration of safety requirements relating to the system.
• 2. Supplementary requirements for equipment. Specific requirements for Group I and Group II equipment in each category.
• 3. Supplementary requirements for protective systems. Specific provisions for protective systems intended to contain or vent explosions.

Conformity assessment procedures

Article 13 and Annexes III to IX provide modules scaled by category:

• Group I Category M1 and Group II Category 1 — Module B (Annex III) + Module D (Annex IV, production quality assurance), or Module B + Module F (Annex V, product verification). A Notified Body is required.
• Group I Category M2 and Group II Category 2
  • Electrical equipment and internal combustion engines: Module B + Module C1 (Annex VI, supervised product testing), or Module B + Module E (Annex VII, product quality assurance);
  • Other equipment: Module A (Annex VIII), with the technical documentation communicated to a Notified Body, which acknowledges receipt and retains it.
• Group II Category 3 — Module A (internal production control, Annex VIII), with no Notified Body.
• Safety, controlling and regulating devices for use outside the explosive atmosphere (Article 1(1)(b)) — the procedures in Article 13(1) apply where necessary; the guidelines explain how to choose by reference to the equipment they serve.
• Protective systems — Module B + D or Module B + F, or Module G (Article 13(2)).
• Components — the Article 13(1) procedures apply, but without CE marking or an EU Declaration of Conformity. The manufacturer issues a written attestation of conformity instead (Article 13(3)).
• Any group or category — Module G (unit verification, Annex IX) is available as an alternative (Article 13(1)(d)).
• Safety aspects under Annex II, point 1.2.7 (hazards other than explosion) — Annex VIII may also be followed (Article 13(4)).

Technical documentation

Annex VIII (Module A) and the relevant annexes for other modules set the technical documentation contents — a general description, design drawings, descriptions of operation, list of standards applied, results of design calculations, test reports. Retention: 10 years after the product has been placed on the market (Article 6(3)). See technical documentation.

EU Declaration of Conformity

Article 14 and Annex X set the contents. See EU Declaration of Conformity.

Marking and labelling

Article 16 requires the CE marking and, where a Notified Body is involved in the production control phase, its identification number. Article 16(4) and Annex II, point 1.0.5, additionally require the specific marking of explosion protection, the Ex symbol in a hexagon, followed by:

• The equipment group (I or II);
• The category (M1, M2, 1, 2, or 3);
• For Group II equipment, "G" (gas, vapour, mist) or "D" (dust) indicating the type of atmosphere;
• Where applicable, additional information from the relevant harmonised standard (e.g., "Ex db IIB T4 Gb" indicating the type of protection, gas group, temperature class, and equipment protection level).

This Ex marking is in addition to, not in place of, the CE mark. See affixing the CE mark.

Harmonised standards

The EN IEC 60079 series covers electrical equipment for explosive atmospheres (Part 0 general, Part 1 flameproof "Ex d", Part 7 increased safety "Ex e", Part 11 intrinsic safety "Ex i", Part 15 type of protection "Ex n", Part 18 encapsulation "Ex m", Part 31 dust ignition protection, and others). The EN ISO 80079 series covers non-electrical equipment. EN 1127-1 sets out basic concepts and methodology. See harmonised standards.

Recent and upcoming changes

The only amendment to the ATEX Equipment Directive since 2016 is Directive (EU) 2024/2749, which adds emergency procedures that operate only when an internal market emergency is activated (applicable from 30 May 2026). Standards continue to be updated through the IEC 60079 series.

Related legislation

• Directive 1999/92/EC (ATEX Workplace) — employer obligations in workplaces with explosive atmospheres; not a CE marking instrument.
• Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC until 19 January 2027, then Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 — applies in parallel for ATEX equipment that is also machinery. Annex III section 1.7.3 requires such machinery to be marked accordingly.
• Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU — does not apply (electrical equipment for explosive atmospheres is excluded from the LVD under its Annex II).
• EMC Directive 2014/30/EU — applies in parallel for EMC aspects.
• Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU — applies in parallel for pressurised ATEX equipment, except equipment no higher than category I, which PED Article 1(2)(f) leaves to ATEX.

Common errors

• Missing Ex marking. The Ex hexagon and equipment group and category are not optional; they are required by Article 16(4) and Annex II, point 1.0.5.
• Wrong category for the intended zone. Category 3 equipment is not safe in Zone 1 or Zone 0; category selection follows zone classification.
• Affixing CE without Notified Body number for Category 1/M1 equipment. The number must accompany the CE mark.
• Module A without lodging the technical documentation for category 2/M2 non-electrical equipment. Article 13(1)(b)(ii) requires it to be communicated to a Notified Body, which retains it.
• Treating components as CE-marked products. ATEX components carry no CE marking; they come with a written attestation of conformity (Article 13(3)).
• Relying on IECEx alone. IECEx certificates are not ATEX conformity assessment. Test results may be useful evidence, but they do not replace a Notified Body procedure where the Directive requires one.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the two ATEX directives?

Directive 2014/34/EU sets product rules for manufacturers and involves CE marking. Directive 1999/92/EC sets worker protection duties for employers, including zone classification, and has no CE marking.

Does ATEX category 3 equipment need a Notified Body?

No. Group II category 3 equipment uses Module A, internal production control. The manufacturer still needs technical documentation, the Ex marking, CE marking and an EU Declaration of Conformity.

Does non-electrical equipment need ATEX certification?

Equipment with its own potential ignition source for an explosive atmosphere is in scope whether electrical or not. Non-electrical category 2 and M2 equipment uses Module A with the documentation lodged at a Notified Body; category 1 and M1 needs Module B.

Is an IECEx certificate enough for the EU?

No. It is not an ATEX procedure. Where the Directive requires a Notified Body, that procedure must still be completed.

Sources

• Directive 2014/34/EU (ATEX Equipment) — OJ text; consolidated text of 30 May 2026.
• European Commission — ATEX sector page.
• Commission guidelines on the application of Directive 2014/34/EU (ATEX 2014/34/EU Guidelines, 6th edition, January 2026) — Commission.
• Commission Notice — Blue Guide 2022 — EUR-Lex.
• Directive 1999/92/EC (ATEX Workplace) — EUR-Lex.