by Grace Ballor, assistant professor at Department of social and political sciences

By indicating “conformité européenne” to regional standards for health and safety, the ubiquitous emblem of the CE mark effectively determines which goods in key product categories can be legally sold within the European Economic Area, the trading bloc that includes both the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). As such, it is at the center of relationships between business and governance in Europe and a powerful symbol of Europe’s place in the global economy. But how, when, and why was it developed? Was it intended to regulate or support regional trade? How did companies based inside and outside of Europe’s prized consumer market respond? And what do the origins of the mark tell us about the political economy of the Single European Market in the past and in the present?

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