Legal path

This section does not redefine the Regulation — it translates it into obligations, evidence and control points that belong to Legal. Every page links to the canonical definition in The CRA framework.

Master table of obligations

Obligation Legal basis Deadline Evidence expected Page
Qualify the product as a PDE Art. 2, 3 11/12/2027 Signed qualification sheet Scope
Determine the criticality class Annexes III, IV 11/12/2027 Classification sheet Classes
Choose the assessment route Art. 32, Annex VIII 11/06/2026 Notified body contract Assessment
Compile the technical documentation Annex VII 11/12/2027 Complete file, SBOM included Technical documentation
Draw up the EU declaration of conformity Annex V 11/12/2027 Signed declaration Declaration
Affix the CE marking Art. 30 11/12/2027 Conformity review record CE marking
Report within 24 h / 72 h / 14 d Art. 14 11/09/2026 Register + platform acknowledgements Reporting
Determine and publish the support period Art. 13, Annex II 11/12/2027 Register + statement to the buyer Support
Provide information to the user Annex II 11/12/2027 Notice shipped with the product User information
Retain file and declaration Art. 13, 31 11/12/2027 Evidence vault + audit log Retention
  • the SBOM, validated and signed, per product and per version, in the agreed format;
  • the documented cybersecurity risk assessment;
  • the vulnerability handling log and the VEX statements justifying uncorrected vulnerabilities;
  • an operational coordinated disclosure policy with a live point of contact;
  • security test reports;
  • a description of the update distribution mechanism;
  • the technical grounds for the support period chosen;
  • in an incident, the “actively exploited” qualification, within two hours.
  • the regulatory classification of each product and the assessment route chosen;
  • the licence policy and the list of prohibited licences;
  • the supplier clauses negotiated and the commitments obtained;
  • the decision on SBOM disclosure to customers;
  • the decision to report and the approved wording;
  • the support period committed contractually.

These exchanges, with deadlines and formats, are formalised in Legal ↔ Cyber interface.

The control point that matters

One thing must be non-negotiable on the Legal side: a formal right of veto over placing on the market until the fifteen points of the checklist are ticked. Without that gate, technical documentation gets assembled after the fact — which is exactly what market surveillance is looking for.

In this section

  • Legal

    CE marking and technical documentation: the internal process

    Who compiles, who reviews, who signs. The approval workflow, the market gate and the conformity review record.

  • Legal

    EU declaration of conformity

    Mandatory content under Annex V, the simplified form in Annex VI, language requirements, a ready-to-use template and the update rules.

  • Legal

    Reporting duties: the legal decision

    When the 24-hour clock starts, who decides, how to document the decision to report or not, and how to organise legal on-call cover.

  • Leadership

    Exposure and risk register

    Quantifying administrative, commercial and contractual exposure; keeping a compliance risk register; anticipating the effect on acquisition due diligence.

  • Legal

    Supplier and customer contract clauses

    The clauses to require upstream so you can meet your own deadlines, those to negotiate downstream, and the special case of free components for which no contract exists.

  • Legal

    Intellectual property and licensing

    The licence policy enforced in CI, the exception process, the register, attribution deliverables and preparing for customer audits.

  • Legal

    Turning the support period into commitments

    From the text of the Regulation to the terms and conditions: the mandatory statement to buyers, desynchronisation with suppliers, end-of-life policy and the register.

  • Legal

    Information and instructions to the user (Annex II)

    The ten mandatory items to supply with the product, the cybersecurity notice template, language requirements and the retention period.

  • Legal

    Evidence retention

    Which artefacts to keep, for how long, under what integrity guarantees, and the annual retrieval exercise that alone proves the arrangement works.

  • Legal

    Pre-market checklist

    Fifteen points, one page, printable and signable. The document that gives Legal's veto over commercialisation its substance.