A New Era for PPE: The EU Has Updated Its Harmonized Standards

The European Union’s framework for the conformity assessment of personal protective equipment (PPE) is being reshaped. On June 16, 2026, the European Commission published Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1279 on harmonized standards supporting the PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425.

The new decision repeals the previous Decision (EU) 2023/941, while allowing certain standards to remain in effect until the phase-out dates specified in the annex. The decision entered into force on the day it was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).

Key Details:

Presumption of Conformity: Pursuant to Article 14 of Directive 2016/425, PPE that complies with harmonized standards whose references have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union is presumed to be in conformity with the relevant essential health and safety requirements. Therefore, the current version of the standard directly determines CE conformity.
Revised Standards: Among the updated or newly added standards are EN 397:2025 (industrial safety helmets), EN 12492:2025 (mountaineering helmets), EN 17353:2020+A1:2025 (high-visibility clothing for medium-risk situations), and EN ISO 21420:2020/A1:2024 (protective gloves—general requirements).
Critical Transition Dates: Withdrawal dates have been set for certain older standards: August 14, 2026, for some parts of the EN 352 series (hearing protectors); October 8, 2026, for EN 12941 / EN 12942 (respiratory protective devices) on October 8, 2026, and for EN 397:2012+A1 on December 16, 2027.
Who Is Affected: CategoryII and III PPE manufacturers, importers, and notified bodies.

Since the presumption of conformity obtained under the old standard will lose its validity after these dates, plans for certificate renewal should be made now. Since Turkey’s PPE Regulation is also aligned with (EU) 2016/425, this update is expected to be reflected in national harmonized standard notifications in the medium term.

It is important for our manufacturers to begin monitoring the relevant standard versions and the phase-out schedule now. The full text of the decision is available in Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1279, published in the Official Journal of the European Union.