Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU

Last reviewed: May 2026 · Legal status verified against EUR-Lex.

Directive 2014/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of radio equipment — commonly the "Radio Equipment Directive" or RED — applies to all equipment intentionally emitting or receiving radio waves for radiocommunication or radiodetermination. It replaced Directive 1999/5/EC (R&TTE) and has applied since 13 June 2017. The Directive was published as OJ L 153, 22.5.2014, p. 62. The RED has been amended in significant respects since 2017 — most importantly by Directive (EU) 2022/2380 (the "common charger" amendment) and by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/30 (the cybersecurity essential requirements).

Legal status and timeline

• Adoption: 16 April 2014.
• Date of application: 13 June 2016 (placing on the market under Directive 1999/5/EC was permitted until 12 June 2017).
• Repeal of Directive 1999/5/EC: 13 June 2016.
• Cybersecurity essential requirements (Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/30): apply from 1 August 2025.
• Common charger amendment (Directive (EU) 2022/2380): applies from 28 December 2024 for most categories; from 28 April 2026 for laptops.
• Status in May 2026: applies.

Scope: products covered

Article 2(1) defines "radio equipment" as an electrical or electronic product that intentionally emits and/or receives radio waves for the purpose of radiocommunication and/or radiodetermination, or an electrical or electronic product which must be completed with an accessory in order to do so. The definition is technology-neutral: Wi-Fi devices, Bluetooth devices, cellular devices, satellite terminals, broadcast receivers, remote controls operating on radio frequencies, NFC, RFID readers, and amateur radio equipment are all in scope.

Exclusions (Annex I)

• Radio equipment used by radio amateurs as defined in the ITU Radio Regulations, unless it is made available on the market;
• Marine equipment falling within the scope of Council Directive 96/98/EC (now Directive 2014/90/EU on marine equipment);
• Airborne products, parts and appliances under Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 (now Regulation (EU) 2018/1139);
• Custom-built evaluation kits for professionals used solely at research and development facilities.

Essential requirements: Article 3

Article 3 of the RED sets out the essential requirements:

• 3(1)(a) — Safety. Protection of the health and safety of persons and domestic animals, and protection of property, including the objectives of the Low Voltage Directive applied without a lower voltage limit.
• 3(1)(b) — EMC. An adequate level of electromagnetic compatibility as set out in Directive 2014/30/EU.
• 3(2) — Effective use of radio spectrum. Construction so as to ensure effective use of and support efficient use of the radio spectrum to avoid harmful interference.
• 3(3) — Additional requirements activated by delegated act. Categories or classes of radio equipment for which the Commission has adopted delegated acts:
  • 3(3)(a) Interworking with accessories;
  • 3(3)(b) Interworking with other radio equipment;
  • 3(3)(c) Connection to networks without harm to the network or its functioning;
  • 3(3)(d) Protection against fraud;
  • 3(3)(e) Access to emergency services;
  • 3(3)(f) Facilitating use by users with disabilities;
  • 3(3)(g) Software functions ensuring loading of only compliant combinations;
  • 3(3)(i) Cybersecurity — personal data and privacy protection (activated by Delegated Regulation 2022/30).

Cybersecurity (Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/30)

The Commission adopted Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/30 in January 2022, activating the essential requirements in Article 3(3)(d), (e), and (f) for specific categories of radio equipment. The cybersecurity requirements apply from 1 August 2025 (extended once from the original date) and cover:

• Internet-connected radio equipment (Article 3(3)(d)) — protection of network operation against harm and against fraud through unauthorised access;
• Internet-connected radio equipment processing personal data or location data (Article 3(3)(e)) — protection of personal data and privacy;
• Internet-connected radio equipment enabling the transfer of money, monetary value, or virtual currency (Article 3(3)(f)) — protection against fraud.

The harmonised standard EN 18031 series (parts 1, 2, 3) was published in the OJEU in 2024–2025 to support compliance with Delegated Regulation 2022/30. Where the harmonised standards have not been applied in full, conformity assessment must include a Notified Body under Module B + C or H.

Common charger (Directive (EU) 2022/2380)

Directive (EU) 2022/2380 amended the RED to require harmonisation of charging interfaces for certain categories of radio equipment. Annex Ia, added by the amendment, applies to:

• Mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, handheld videogame consoles, portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, earbuds — placed on the market from 28 December 2024;
• Laptops — from 28 April 2026.

For these categories, USB Type-C is the harmonised charging port; equipment supporting charging at voltages higher than 5 V or currents higher than 3 A must incorporate USB Power Delivery (USB PD); a harmonised label indicating charging characteristics must be visible on the equipment or its packaging.

Conformity assessment

Articles 17 and 18 of the RED provide three procedures:

• Module A — Internal production control (Annex II). Available where the manufacturer has applied harmonised standards covering all relevant essential requirements.
• Module B + C — EU type-examination + conformity to type (Annex III). Available always.
• Module H — Full quality assurance (Annex IV). Available always.

Under Module B + C or H, a Notified Body issues a certificate; the four-digit identification number appears on the product next to the CE marking. For products covered by Delegated Regulation 2022/30 (cybersecurity), Module A is available only where the EN 18031 harmonised standards have been applied in full; otherwise Module B + C or H is required.

Technical documentation

Annex V sets the technical documentation contents specific to radio equipment, in addition to the general requirements:

• Description of operating frequencies, RF output power, modulation type, antenna characteristics;
• Accessories or components that influence radio performance;
• Where applicable, documentation on combinations of radio equipment and software that ensure compliance — Article 4 of the RED requires manufacturers to provide information on which combinations comply;
• Risk assessment covering the safety and EMC requirements absorbed into the RED;
• From 1 August 2025, documentation supporting cybersecurity essential requirements where Delegated Regulation 2022/30 applies.

See technical documentation.

EU Declaration of Conformity

Annex VI sets the contents, including the frequency band(s) in which the equipment operates and the maximum RF power. Article 18(2) allows a "simplified Declaration" supplied via an internet address printed on the product or packaging, provided the full Declaration is accessible at that address. See EU Declaration of Conformity.

Marking and labelling

Article 19 requires the CE marking and, where applicable, the four-digit Notified Body identification number. The minimum dimensions are those of Annex II of Regulation 765/2008 (see affixing the CE mark). Radio equipment must additionally indicate, where appropriate, restrictions or requirements for authorisation of use in specific Member States (Article 10(10) and Annex VII). The common-charger amendment introduces a harmonised pictogram showing whether a charger is included with the radio equipment.

Recent and upcoming changes

• 1 August 2025 — cybersecurity essential requirements under Delegated Regulation 2022/30 apply.
• 28 December 2024 — common charger requirements apply to most categories.
• 28 April 2026 — common charger requirements apply to laptops.
• EN 18031-1, -2, -3 — harmonised standards for cybersecurity, published in OJEU 2024–2025.
• The Commission has indicated further delegated acts may activate additional Article 3(3) requirements, including software loading (Article 3(3)(i)) and accessibility (Article 3(3)(f)).

Related legislation

• Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU — safety requirements absorbed into Article 3(1)(a); LVD does not apply in parallel to RED-covered products.
• EMC Directive 2014/30/EU — EMC requirements absorbed into Article 3(1)(b); EMC Directive does not apply in parallel.
• RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU — applies in parallel for restriction of hazardous substances.
• Battery Regulation 2023/1542 — applies in parallel for embedded batteries.
• Ecodesign Regulation 2024/1781 — applies in parallel for energy-related radio products covered by specific delegated acts.
• Medical Devices Regulation 2017/745 — for radio-enabled medical devices, applies in parallel.
• Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 — for radio-enabled machinery, applies in parallel.

Common errors

• Listing LVD and EMC Directive on the Declaration alongside the RED. The safety and EMC requirements are absorbed into the RED; listing the LVD and EMC Directive separately produces a Declaration that incorrectly suggests parallel application.
• Self-declaration under Module A without applying harmonised standards in full. Module A is conditional on full application of harmonised standards covering all essential requirements; partial application requires Module B + C or H.
• Missing frequency and RF power on the Declaration. Annex VI specifically requires this; omission is a documentary infringement.
• Treating cybersecurity as voluntary. Since 1 August 2025, the Delegated Regulation 2022/30 essential requirements are mandatory for in-scope products. Non-compliance after that date prevents lawful placing on the market.
• Confusion between RED and the new Cyber Resilience Act. Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 (the Cyber Resilience Act) applies to products with digital elements and overlaps with the RED's cybersecurity essential requirements. The two regimes will coexist; the Commission has indicated that compliance with the CRA can be used as evidence of compliance with the RED's cybersecurity requirements where the products overlap.

Sources

• Directive 2014/53/EU on radio equipment — EUR-Lex consolidated text.
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/30 — EUR-Lex.
• Directive (EU) 2022/2380 (common charger) — EUR-Lex.
• European Commission — Radio Equipment Directive sector page.
• Commission Notice — Blue Guide 2022 — EUR-Lex.