Who signs the declaration of conformity?

What is required

The EU declaration of conformity is signed for and on behalf of the manufacturer, with the name and function of the signatory and the place and date of issue. It should be signed by someone who can legally represent the company — usually the management or an expressly authorised person.

Who cannot sign

An external CE consultant or designer can prepare the declaration but cannot sign it in place of the manufacturer: they are not the manufacturer. The person authorised to compile the technical file under the old Directive no longer exists in the Machinery Regulation.

Signing digitally

The declaration may be provided digitally. In practice it is then stored with an electronic signature or as a scan of the signed version; what matters is that name, function, place and date are visible and that the version cannot be changed unnoticed afterwards.