Article 35 Notification

In order to ensure a smooth application of this Regulation, Member States should strive to ensure, before the date of application of this Regulation, that a sufficient number of notified bodies is available to carry out third-party conformity assessments. The Commission should seek to assist Member States and other relevant parties in this endeavour, in order to avoid bottlenecks and hindrances to market entry for manufacturers. Targeted training activities led by Member States, including where appropriate with the support of the Commission, can contribute to the availability of skilled professionals including to support the activities of notified bodies under this Regulation. Furthermore, in light of the costs that third-party conformity assessment may entail, funding initiatives at Union and national level that seek to alleviate such costs for microenterprises and small enterprises should be considered.

In order to carry out third-party conformity assessment for products with digital elements, conformity assessment bodies should be notified by the national notifying authorities to the Commission and the other Member States, provided they comply with a set of requirements, in particular on independence, competence and absence of conflicts of interest.