Adopted, Applies Later Checked October 24, 2026
Adopted, applying from January 20, 2027, when it replaces Directive 2006/42/EC. Directly applicable, with no national transposition to wait for.
Next: January 20, 2027: the Regulation applies. Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 has since added AI-related provisions, applying through delegated acts by August 2, 2028.
What It Covers
Essential health and safety requirements for machinery and related products placed on the EU market, conformity assessment, technical documentation, and CE marking.
Who It Applies To
Manufacturers, importers and distributors of machinery, interchangeable equipment, safety components, lifting accessories, and partly completed machinery for the EU market.
Key Requirements
- Essential health and safety requirements, now covering software, cybersecurity of control systems, and autonomous behavior.
- Third-party conformity assessment for the high-risk categories listed in Annex I, Part A.
- Technical documentation, the EU declaration of conformity and instructions, which may be supplied in digital form.
- Substantial modification of machinery in use treated as making a new product.
What an Auditor Asks to See
- The technical file and risk assessment for a machine, and its route to conformity.
Where Systems Fall Short
- Technical files written to the old Directive without a gap analysis.
How QES Helps
Gap analyses of technical files and procedures against the Regulation before January 20, 2027.
Related Standards
Sources. EUR-Lex — Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery (opens in a new tab); IBF Solutions — Amendments to the Machinery Regulation (opens in a new tab). Status checked October 24, 2026. This page summarizes Regulation (EU) 2023/1230; it does not reproduce or replace it. Buy the standard from its publisher, or read the regulation in its official text, before relying on a detail. Not legal advice.