M
Market Surveillance
Definition
Market surveillance is the activity by which competent national authorities in EU Member States verify that EEE placed on the EU market complies with applicable legislation, including RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU. Under Article 19 of RoHS and Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 (Market Surveillance Regulation), national authorities may: inspect products and documentation; require manufacturers, importers, or distributors to provide technical documentation and DoC; conduct or commission substance testing; and order corrective action, market withdrawal, or product recall for non-compliant EEE. RAPEX (now SAFETY Gate) is the EU rapid alert system through which Member States notify each other of dangerous non-compliant products.
Source
Directive 2011/65/EU, Articles 18–22; Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 (Market Surveillance Regulation); SAFETY Gate / RAPEX.
Practical Explanation (Compliance Context)
Manufacturers, importers, and distributors must be prepared for market surveillance inspections at any time. Inspectors may request complete technical documentation, DoC, and supplier declarations within short timeframes. Products found non-compliant may be subject to market withdrawal, recall, and financial penalties under national enforcement laws. CE marking without adequate supporting technical documentation is a recurring compliance failure. Companies should maintain immediately accessible compliance documentation packages for each product.