Machinery Regulation Timeline: Entry into Force, Early Provisions, 20 January 2027 and the Transition

The two dates are 42 months apart. The Regulation applies directly and replaces the Directive under Article 51(2), so the dates decide which act governs a product under the EU Machinery Regulation.

The table lists the dates; statuses are as of 12 November 2026.

What Is the Machinery Regulation Transition Period?

The transition period of the Machinery Regulation is the 42 months between its entry into force on 19 July 2023 and its application on 20 January 2027, during which Directive 2006/42/EC remains the law for placing machinery on the market.

The Directive applies through national law until the end of that period, and from 20 January 2027 every product placed on the market or put into service must meet the Regulation.

Article 52 is the only transitional rule; it protects products already placed on the market and Directive certificates. The Commission states that the Regulation "applies on a mandatory basis as of 20 January 2027".

From Adoption to Entry into Force: 14 June to 19 July 2023

Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 was adopted on 14 June 2023, published in the Official Journal on 29 June 2023 (OJ L 165, p. 1) and entered into force on 19 July 2023, the twentieth day after publication (Article 54, first paragraph).

The procedure is 2021/0105(COD), based on proposal COM(2021) 202; Parliament's first-reading position is dated 18 April 2023 and the Council's 22 May 2023.

The act is a regulation, binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States (Article 54, last sentence), so no transposition is needed. Its full title also names the repeal of Directive 73/361/EEC. The EUR-Lex text of the act and the consolidated version are listed under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery.

Why the Corrigendum Replaced 14 January 2027 with 20 January 2027

The Official Journal text of Article 54 read 14 January 2027, and the corrigendum published in OJ L 169 on 4 July 2023 (p. 35) corrected it to 20 January 2027 together with 13 other dates.

The Commission calls this "a clerical error as regards the application dates", and the corrigendum on EUR-Lex covers all language versions.

The EUR-Lex summary "Machinery safety requirements" (last update 12 June 2025) still says that Article 50(1) applies from 20 October 2023, while the corrected Article 54(b) says 20 October 2026.

Early Provisions: What Applies Before 20 January 2027

Four groups of provisions of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 apply before 20 January 2027, on the dates set in Article 54(a) to (d) as corrected: 19 July 2023, 20 January 2024, 20 July 2024 and 20 October 2026.

19 July 2023: Articles 6(7), 48 and 52

Article 6(7), Article 48 and Article 52 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 apply since 19 July 2023, the day of entry into force (Article 54(c)). Article 6(7) sets the conditions for listing a category in Annex I, Part A, Article 48 is the committee procedure and Article 52 is the transitional article.

20 January 2024: Notification of Conformity Assessment Bodies (Articles 26 to 42)

Chapter V of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, Articles 26 to 42 on the notification of conformity assessment bodies, applies since 20 January 2024 (Article 54(a)). Member States could therefore notify bodies under the Regulation before its general application, which is the route to the notified bodies for machinery.

20 July 2024: Annex I Delegated Powers and the Data Template

Article 6(2) to (6), (8) and (11), Article 47 and Article 53(3) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 apply since 20 July 2024 (Article 54(d)). They cover the power to amend Annex I by delegated act, the Member State data criteria and the exercise of the delegation.

The first implementing act under Article 6(10) was due by 20 July 2024 and was adopted as Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1922 of 12 July 2024. It is the template for the data in Article 6(5)(a) to (d), which Member States provide by 20 July 2025 and then every five years (Article 6(9)).

20 October 2026: Member State Penalty Rules (Article 50)

Article 50(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies since 20 October 2026, and Member States had to notify their penalty rules and measures to the Commission by that date (Article 50(2), Article 54(b)). Penalties must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive and may include criminal penalties for serious infringements (national penalties for machinery).

What Happens on 20 January 2027

On 20 January 2027 Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies in full and Directive 2006/42/EC is repealed with effect from that date (Article 51(2)), so every product placed on the market or put into service from then on must meet the Regulation.

References to the Directive are then read as references to the Regulation under the correlation table in Annex XII.

The Annex I categories and the Article 25 procedures apply to products placed on the market or put into service from that date.

The Directive list of harmonised standards, Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/1586, is repealed with effect from the same day by Article 2 of Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2015. As of 12 November 2026, no harmonised standard is cited in the Official Journal under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230.

What changes in content is a separate question, answered under what changes on 20 January 2027.

Article 52: No Parallel Period, Two Transitional Rules

Article 52 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, headed "Transitional provisions", contains two rules: products lawfully placed on the market under Directive 2006/42/EC before 20 January 2027 may still be made available, and EC type-examination certificates issued under the Directive remain valid until they expire.

No period exists in which a manufacturer may choose either act for a new unit. The wording is in the consolidated version on EUR-Lex.

Products Placed on the Market Before 20 January 2027

Article 52(1) provides that Member States shall not impede the making available on the market of products placed on the market in conformity with Directive 2006/42/EC before 20 January 2027. The deciding fact is the placing on the market of each unit, not its design date.

The second sentence of Article 52(1) applies Chapter VI of the Regulation (Union market surveillance and Union safeguard procedures, Articles 43 to 46) to those Directive products since 19 July 2023, in place of Article 11 of Directive 2006/42/EC. Procedures already pending are included.

EC Type-Examination Certificates Issued under the Directive (Article 52(2))

EC type-examination certificates and approval decisions issued in accordance with Article 12 of Directive 2006/42/EC remain valid until they expire (Article 52(2)). They do not lapse on 20 January 2027, and the module that produces them is explained under EU type-examination (module B).

How to Prepare for the 20 January 2027 Application Date

Preparing for 20 January 2027 under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 takes five steps, from separating units placed on the market before the date from those placed after it to signing the first declarations under the Regulation.

1. List which units are placed on the market before the application date (Directive) and which from that date (Regulation), as the full Machinery Regulation checklist before 20 January 2027 sets out.
2. Check each product against Annex I, Part A (6 categories) and Part B (19 points) and the Article 25(2) to (4) route; the conformity assessment under the Machinery Regulation and the machinery conformity route finder show the route.
3. Update the technical documentation to Annex IV, Part A of the Regulation.
4. Note the expiry date of every EC type-examination certificate.
5. Draw up the EU declaration of conformity for machinery under the Regulation for units placed on the market from the application date and affix the CE marking under Article 24.

Dates After 20 January 2027: Evaluation, Delegated Acts and Data Rounds

After 20 January 2027 the Regulation's calendar continues with review and delegation dates: the first evaluation report under Article 53(1) by 20 July 2028, then every four years, and the end of the first five-year delegation period on 19 July 2028.

Delegated acts adding health and safety requirements for high-risk AI systems to Annex III "shall apply by 2 August 2028" (Article 8, fourth paragraph, as inserted by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744), and no such delegated act exists as of 12 November 2026.

Regulation (EU) 2024/2748 added Chapter IVa, applicable since 29 May 2026, and Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 has been in force since 27 July 2026. Both are covered under delegated acts amending the Machinery Regulation.

Machinery Regulation Timeline Questions

Three questions recur about the Machinery Regulation timeline: dual declarations before the application date, transposition and national rule changes.

Can a declaration of conformity refer to both acts before 20 January 2027?

Yes, the Commission states that machinery placed on the market before 20 January 2027 must comply with Directive 2006/42/EC and that the manufacturer may state on the declaration of conformity that it also conforms with Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, where applicable. This is Commission guidance, not legal text.

Does the Regulation need to be transposed into national law?

No, Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States (Article 54), whereas Directive 2006/42/EC applied through national transposition measures. Member States still set penalties under Article 50.

Which national rules change on 20 January 2027?

In Germany the 9. ProdSV, which transposed the Directive, expires at the end of 19 January 2027 (§ 10 9. ProdSV), and the German-language rule, the fines and the transitional rule of the MaschinenDG apply from 20 January 2027 (§ 12 MaschinenDG). In Northern Ireland Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies directly from 20 January 2027 (Windsor Framework Article 5(4) and Annex 2) and the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 are revoked there (regulation 15(1) of S.I. 2026/867), as the hub on machinery rules by country shows.