European Product Directives set minimum safety standards for products. Products must conform with these standards before they are allowed on the European market or before they are first put into service in the European Economic Area (EEA).

The famous "CE marking" is the symbol that indicates a product's compliance with all applicable Directives.

A product complying with a Directive in one EU nation, must be allowed on the markets of all other EU nations which makes the CE mark a key ingredient in removing barriers to trade within the European single-market.

The EU does not have Directives for every single product: only those where differing national legislation within the member states created the perception of a barrier to trade. Only two European (product) Directives are in force in the marine sector: