The Permanent Representatives Committee of the Council confirmed the compromise texts of the Omnibus IV Regulation and Directive on digitalisation and common specifications on 26 June 2026, based on the agreement reached between negotiating parties on 9 June 2026, and authorised sending the offer letter to the European Parliament.
The package mandates that EU declarations of conformity must be drawn up only in electronic form and accompany the product via a direct, free internet address or machine-readable code, with no login, personal data, or extra app required. Manufacturers may provide instructions in digital format, but safety information must be in paper or on the product if consumers could reasonably use the product; for professional-only use, safety information may be digital. End-users can obtain a paper copy of instructions or safety information free of charge at purchase and for a period after purchase. Economic operators must provide both a postal address and a digital contact (e.g. email, contact form) on the product and in the EU declaration of conformity, with the digital contact being free, requiring no login, personal data, or extra app, and excluding automatic replies, chatbots, fax, and telephone. Upon reasoned request from a competent national authority, operators must provide all necessary information and documentation in electronic form only.
The Commission may adopt implementing acts as an exceptional fall-back solution when no harmonised standards exist or are insufficient, with compliance being voluntary for manufacturers. A last resort clause allows the Commission to adopt common specifications without prior request to European standardisation organisations where international standardisation organisations lack cooperation, limited to a specific period. Where a product is covered by multiple pieces of Union legislation, operators must store the EU declaration of conformity and instructions in the digital product passport.
The validity of certain provisions of Directive 2009/125/EC is prolonged until 31 December 2028 to allow time for adoption of acts under Regulation (EU) 2024/1781. Amendments to the listed Regulations concerning digitalisation are deferred to provide a reasonable timeframe for industry adjustment. Products placed on the market before the date of application of the digitalisation amendments may continue to be supplied.
The package impacts manufacturers, importers, and distributors by requiring digital compliance documentation and contact points, reducing paper use but imposing new digital infrastructure costs. Consumers benefit from easier access to declarations and instructions via digital means, with the right to request paper copies free of charge. National authorities gain streamlined electronic access to documentation. The European Commission gains a fall-back tool for common specifications when standardisation bodies fail to act. The European Parliament will now consider the offer letter to finalise the legislative process.