A little over 50 years ago, on July 26, 1971, the European Union created the “e” symbol in its directive 71/316/EEC. The objective of this directive was to prepare for the harmonization of the laws of the member states in the field of measurement instruments and metrological control. The “e” symbol is defined on page 11 of this directive.
A few years later, on January 20, 1976, directive 76/211/EEC defined the basis for pre-packaged product control. This directive specified that the “e” applied to the packaging of products symbolized the conformity of the product with the requirements of the directive (Annex I, 3.3).
The regulations on pre-packaged product control, based on these directives, were introduced in France by decree 78-166 of January 31, 1978.