The new institutional structure will adapt the rules to address the risks associated with new technologies and ensure their safe circulation.

Europe is paving the way for an era where autonomous machines and collaborative robots will become part of everyday life in a number of manufacturing industries. According to SEPE (Association of Informatics and Communication Companies of Greece), given the gradual introduction of robots or autonomous machines in the production process, the EU. introduces rules for their safe use.

The new institutional structure adapts the rules to deal with the emerging risks posed by new technologies for engineering products and ensures their safe handling. This will ensure that advanced machines such as autonomous or collaborative robots are safely placed on the EU market.

The regulations introduce new safety requirements for autonomous machines, human-machine collaboration, and, for the first time, the safe use of artificial intelligence systems in machines. Manufacturers must ensure that engineered products fully comply with the essential health and safety requirements set out in regulations. According to SEPE, the new regulation is expected to reduce the administrative burden and costs for manufacturers.

The rules introduce administrative simplifications, such as the ability to use digital formats for instructions for use. This will help the industry save up to 16.6 billion euros annually. The new rules also set the course to tailor conformity assessment fees to the needs of SMEs, which represent 98% of the engineering sector. In addition, the new rules increase consistency with AI rules.

The new regulation sets out clear rules that will apply uniformly throughout the EU. and increases legal certainty for manufacturers. According to SEPE, EE is a world leader in mechanical engineering.

The annual turnover of the engineering sector is more than 740 billion euros, which is 9.4% of the total turnover of the EU manufacturing sector. It employs 2.8 million people, or 9.9% of all manufacturing workers, and includes over 80,000 companies, or 4.1% of all manufacturing companies.