importing from China
The Chinese authorities are making efforts to avoid the export of non-compliant PPE to the EU. Customs are checking that products exported to the EU are CE marked and have the correct certification.
To simplify this process, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Medicines & Health Products produces a list of companies that have certification for other countries. Companies wanting to be included in this list must apply with the local Chamber of Commerce for a first check. If this first check is satisfactory, the application is further checked by the national level of the Chamber of Commerce. Being included in the list does not mean that exports are automatically approved, but the checks for each individual shipment will be faster at the customs. This of course also does not mean that all products of these companies are compliant, nor that companies not on these lists are not offering compliant products. But it certainly gives an indication.
There are 2 lists that are updated about once a week (the lists can also be downloaded in excel format) :
- Name List of Non-Medical Use Face Masks Companies with Certification/Authorization from other Countries (this contains mainly the PPE masks)
- Name List of Medical Devices and Supplies Companies with Certification/Authorization from other Countries (this list contains producers of medical face masks, medical protective gowns, ventilators, infrared thermometers, and Coronavirus Reagent Test kits.
remark : 'EUA’ in the list stands for ‘Emergency Use Authorization’
As for each new version of the list, the link changes, it is best to go to the homepage of the Chamber of Commerce (http://en.cccmhpie.org.cn/Index.aspx) where you will find both lists under the ‘events’ heading.