CEI

Introduction

CEI – the Italian Electrotechnical Committee is a private, non-profit Association operating, at national level, for technical standardisation in the electrotechnical, electronic and telecommunication field. CEI represents Italy in the European activities (CENELEC – Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique) and International activities (IEC – International Electrotechnical Commission).

Founded in 1909, formally recognized by the Italian Government and later confirmed by the European Union (see EU Regulation no. 1025/2012), CEI proposes, elaborates and publishes technical standards that, according to the Italian Law 186/1968, provide the presumption of conformity to the “rule of the art” of electrical products, systems, installations and processes.

The Italian law n. 186 of 1st March 1968 establishes that “All materials, equipment, machinery, installations and electrical and electronic systems must be made and constructed in a workmanlike manner” and that the same “made according to the rules of the Electrotechnical Committee Italian consider themselves built in a workmanlike manner “.

Most part of CEI standards are the endorsement of normative documents and are the unique tool to satisfy also the compulsory requirements indicated by the national and European legislation.

Technical standardisation is based on the principle of consensus which requires the involvement and the active participation in the works of all the stakeholders interested in the process. A project is normally born to respond to specific needs expressed by the market to have references shared at national (European or International) level. In CEI the standardisation project is developed by the competent Technical Committee. About About 3.000 national experts are operating in CEI TCs and SCs, experts designated by Ministries, public and private Institutions, Universities, R&D and testing Labs, certification Bodies and industries.

CEI Mission

The mission of CEI is to be the “super partes” national standardisation body, to publish good technical normative documents in Italy, to participate in the development of the corresponding European and international regulations and to transpose them with specific regard to harmonized European regulatory documents for the purposes of Community Directives and Regulations, spread the technical-scientific culture in general and that of technical standardization in particular.

To fulfill its mission, the CEI coordinates and carries out the following activities (extract from the CEI Statute):

• develop, publish, promote and disseminate the technical standards in the electrotechnical, electronic and telecommunications sector for materials, appliances, machines, plants, processes and their programs, establishing the related quality and safety requirements;
• provide for symbology, nomenclature, terminology and unification in the areas of competence;
• establish criteria, test methods and limits aimed at achieving adequate levels of safety, reliability and quality of products or processes, as well as to elaborate rules and procedures for tests and controls of compliance with technical standards; establish evaluation criteria for laboratories, manufacturers, individual operators, for the purpose of their accreditation by the competent bodies;
• study the problems of a scientific and technological nature related to the needs of use, operation, safety or other of products in the electrical, electronic and telecommunications sector, spreading their knowledge and national use;
• promoting and developing technical culture with various types of training and information activities, with complementary documentary and editorial initiatives, also through training courses, conferences, seminars and with the support of manuals, guides, application software and technical commentaries;
• to promote and encourage certification activities;
• participate in the activities of international standardization organizations, make the harmonization of technical standards operational and deliberate on regulatory projects in order to fulfill the mandates received according to Community policies.

This series of regulatory and pre-regulatory activities, carried out at national, European and international level, are conducted with the involvement and collaboration of all the social partners concerned.

History