Article 32 Conformity assessment procedures for products with digital elements

Regulation (EU) 2019/881 establishes a voluntary European cybersecurity certification framework for ICT products, ICT processes and ICT services. European cybersecurity certification schemes provide a common framework of trust for users to use products with digital elements that fall within the scope of this Regulation. This Regulation should consequently create synergies with Regulation (EU) 2019/881. In order to facilitate the assessment of conformity with the requirements laid down in this Regulation, products with digital elements that are certified or for which a statement of conformity has been issued under a European cybersecurity scheme pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/881 that has been identified by the Commission in an implementing act, shall be presumed to be in compliance with the essential cybersecurity requirements set out in this Regulation in so far as the European cybersecurity certificate or statement of conformity or parts thereof cover those requirements. The need for new European cybersecurity certification schemes for products with digital elements should be assessed in the light of this Regulation, including when preparing the Union rolling work programme in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/881. Where there is a need for a new scheme covering products with digital elements, including in order to facilitate compliance with this Regulation, the Commission can request ENISA to prepare candidate schemes in accordance with Article 48 of Regulation (EU) 2019/881. Such future European cybersecurity certification schemes covering products with digital elements should take into account the essential cybersecurity requirements and conformity assessment procedures as set out in this Regulation and facilitate compliance with this Regulation. For European cybersecurity certification schemes that enter into force before the entry into force of this Regulation, further specifications may be needed on detailed aspects of how a presumption of conformity can apply. The Commission, by means of delegated acts, should be empowered to specify under which conditions the European cybersecurity certification schemes can be used to demonstrate conformity with the essential cybersecurity requirements set out in this Regulation. Furthermore, to avoid undue administrative burdens, there should be no obligation for manufacturers to carry out a third-party conformity assessment as provided for in this Regulation for corresponding requirements where a European cybersecurity certificate has been issued under such European cybersecurity certification schemes at least at level ‘substantial’.

In order to allow economic operators to demonstrate conformity with the essential cybersecurity requirements set out in this Regulation and to allow market surveillance authorities to ensure that products with digital elements made available on the market comply with those requirements, it is necessary to provide for conformity assessment procedures. Decision No 768/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(³⁰) establishes modules for conformity assessment procedures in proportion to the level of risk involved and the level of security required. In order to ensure inter-sectoral coherence and to avoid ad-hoc variants, conformity assessment procedures adequate for verifying the conformity of products with digital elements with the essential cybersecurity requirements set out in this Regulation should be based on those modules. The conformity assessment procedures should examine and verify both product and process-related requirements covering the whole lifecycle of products with digital elements, including planning, design, development or production, testing and maintenance of the product with digital elements.

Conformity assessment of products with digital elements that are not listed as important or critical products with digital elements in this Regulation can be carried out by the manufacturer under its own responsibility following the internal control procedure based on module A of Decision No 768/2008/EC in accordance with this Regulation. This also applies to cases where a manufacturer chooses not to apply in whole or in part an applicable harmonised standard, common specification or European cybersecurity certification scheme. The manufacturer retains the flexibility to choose a stricter conformity assessment procedure involving a third party. Under the internal control conformity assessment procedure, the manufacturer ensures and declares on its sole responsibility that the product with digital elements and the processes of the manufacturer meet the applicable essential cybersecurity requirements set out in this Regulation. If an important product with digital elements falls under class I, additional assurance is required to demonstrate conformity with the essential cybersecurity requirements set out in this Regulation. The manufacturer should apply harmonised standards, common specifications or European cybersecurity certification schemes adopted pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/881 which have been identified by the Commission in an implementing act if it wants to carry out the conformity assessment under its own responsibility (module A). If the manufacturer does not apply such harmonised standards, common specifications or European cybersecurity certification schemes, the manufacturer should undergo conformity assessment involving a third party (based on modules B and C or module H). Taking into account the administrative burden on manufacturers and the fact that cybersecurity plays an important role in the design and development phase of tangible and intangible products with digital elements, conformity assessment procedures based on modules B and C or module H of Decision No 768/2008/EC have been chosen as most appropriate for assessing the compliance of important products with digital elements in a proportionate and effective manner. The manufacturer that carries out the third-party conformity assessment can choose the procedure that best suits its design and production process. Given the even greater cybersecurity risk linked with the use of important products with digital elements that fall under class II, the conformity assessment should always involve a third party, even where the product complies fully or partly with harmonised standards, common specifications or European cybersecurity certification schemes. Manufacturers of important products with digital elements qualifying as free and open-source software should be able to follow the internal control procedure based on module A, provided that they make the technical documentation available to the public.

While the creation of tangible products with digital elements usually requires manufacturers to make substantial efforts throughout the design, development and production phases, the creation of products with digital elements in the form of software almost exclusively focuses on design and development, while the production phase plays a minor role. Nonetheless, in many cases software products still need to be compiled, built, packaged, made available for download or copied onto physical media before being placed on the market. Those activities should be considered to be activities amounting to production when applying the relevant conformity assessment modules to verify the compliance of the product with the essential cybersecurity requirements set out in this Regulation across the design, development and production phases.

In order to ensure proportionality, conformity assessment bodies, when setting the fees for conformity assessment procedures, should take into account the specific interests and needs of microenterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises, including start-ups. In particular, conformity assessment bodies should apply the relevant examination procedure and tests provided for in this Regulation only where appropriate and following a risk-based approach.