The European Lifts Directive 2014/33/EU

The national legislation of EU Member States relating to elevator safety has been replaced by the European Lift Directive. This directive has two important objectives: 

• to remove trade barriers: elevators and safety components produced in line with the directive may be traded freely throughout the EU;
• to improve safety: the directive sets stringent requirements when it comes to safeguarding health and safety.

Effective since 20 April 2016

The new Lift Directive was published on 29 March 2014. This new Lift Directive became effective in every European Member State on 20 April 2016. The existing Lift Directive 95/16/EC was repealed at that time.

The new Lift Directive has consequences for you as a lift installer, or if you are an importer or distributor of lift components and security components. Or if you are an authorised representative for the above.

The most important amendments to the Lift Directive:

• The unintended car movement protection system or UCMP has become a safety component in the new Lift Directive.
• The new Lift Directive describes the specific obligations for all operators in the market. The market operators are the lift installers and the manufacturers or their authorised representatives, and the importers and distributors of safety components.
• Market regulators, such as the Social Affairs Inspectorate for lifts and safety components for lifts can verify compliance with the obligations of the Lift Directive.
• As a lift installer, you are bound to ensure that the safety components, including the UCMP's therefore, that you have bought as of 20 April 2016 must have a CE marking and EU declaration of conformity. Safety components that entered the EU market before 20 April 2016 may however also be installed in a lift even after that date with the original EC declaration of conformity in accordance with the current Lift Directive 95/16/EC. Lifts completed after 20 April 2016 must always be issued with an EU declaration of conformity in accordance with the new Lift Directive.
• As a distributor of safety components, including the UCMP's therefore, you are bound to supply those components with a CE marking and EU declaration of conformity in accordance with the new Lift Directive as of 20 April 2016. Safety components that entered the EU market before 20 April 2016 may however also be installed in a lift after that date with the original EC declaration of conformity in accordance with the current Lift Directive 95/16/EC.
• As an importer of safety components, including the UCMP's therefore, you are bound to supply those components with a CE marking and EU declaration of conformity in accordance with the new Lifts Directive as of 20 April 2016.
• The product marking of safety components must be expanded to make it possible to trace to whom each individual safety component was delivered.
• The EC declaration of conformity must be called the EU conformity declaration in accordance with the new Lift Directive.
• If you have made components or elevators available and have discovered safety errors in them, you now also have to report it to the government. You are bound to keep a register of this.
• Lift installers, manufacturers and importers must investigate complaints about their products and then take action and keep a register of complaints.
• The new Lift Directive requires a stricter data retention period of ten years for technical documentation, delivery information, the EU declaration of conformity and, where applicable, the EC type certificates from all operators. Notified bodies are even required to retain information relating to the certificates and technical documents provided by them for fifteen years.
• The new Lift Directive has been implemented in the national legislation of the individual EU states.