This directive is issued by the European Commission in Brussels and is a law implemented by each member state of the European Union.

According to the EU directive, complete vehicles and components approved shall be affixed with small e-mark markings.

Some EC directives are technically equivalent to the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) rules, or reference can be made to the relevant requirements of the corresponding ECE rules (such as Directive 79/532/EEC: Lighting Equipment for Agricultural Tractors).