Directive (EU) 2015/1535 applies to all draft technical regulations. Technical regulations include:
- technical specifications;
- other requirements;
- rules on services; and
- regulations prohibiting the manufacture, importation, marketing or use of a product or prohibiting the provision or use of a service, or establishment as a service provider.
In the meaning of the Directive, 'product' concerns any industrially manufactured product and any agricultural product, including fish products.
As regards services, the Directive applies only to Information Society services defined as any service provided for remuneration, at a distance, by electronic means and at the individual request of a recipient of services.
A 'technical specification' is a specification contained in a document which lays down the characteristics of a product such as dimension, labelling, packaging, level of quality, conformity assessment procedures etc. This term also covers production methods and processes.
'Other requirements' cover requirements imposed on a product for the purpose of protecting for instance consumers or the environment and which affects its life cycle once placed on the market, such as conditions of use, reuse or recycling. These conditions have however to influence significantly the composition or nature of the product or its marketing.