Technical harmonisation: Council and Parliament strike a deal to update the requirements of measuring instruments 10:45 Council and Parliament strike provisional deal on the[...]

Today, the Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on amending requirements for measuring instruments sold and placed on the single market. The updated measuring instruments directive (MID) will cover new devices essential for the green and digital transitions, such as electric vehicle chargers, compressed gas dispensers, and thermal energy meters. The revised rules also prioritise digitalisation and smart metering and support the use of emerging gases like hydrogen to help decarbonise industrial processes.

Expanding the scope to electric vehicle chargers

The agreement enlarges the scope of the directive to all electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) and mentions explicitly that rail, boats, vessels and aircraft are also covered. The new text addresses the requirements for EVSE's cables to ensure that if they are damaged or stolen, may be easily replaced without affecting the performance requirements of the measuring device.

Clear display requirements

Co-legislators have clarified the requirements for displaying measurement results on various instruments. For gas and electricity meters, the results must be shown directly on the meter, either in print or via remote display (allowing data to be viewed from a distance, such as in a different room). However, for electric vehicle chargers (EVSE) or compressed gas dispensers used in transport, the vehicle's screen or another end-user device (such as a smartphone) can also be used to display the data. With these provisions, the agreement also ensures that cloud-based solutions are possible for smart meters.

Energy conversion devices

The new legislative text harmonises the conformity assessment criteria for energy conversion devices by introducing a maximum permissible error of 0.05%. An energy conversion device converts measured gas mass or volume into energy by applying the gas calorific value.

Transposition of the directive and transitional period

The provisional agreement gives member states 24 months to implement the new rules into their national legal framework and will apply 30 months after the entry into force of the directive. To ensure sufficient supply, measuring devices that were in line with the current legislation will be allowed to be placed on the market until the new directive applies.

To prevent bottlenecks for notified bodies, the appointment of Notified bodies and their issuing of certificates for products already covered by the MID (gas, electricity, and thermal energy meters) will be advanced to the period between national transposition and the start of application. This would reduce the backlog of products awaiting certification at application time, helping to avoid delays in the certification of electrical vehicle chargers and compressed gas dispenser. Notified bodies (NoBos) are independent organizations designated by EU member states to assess and certify that products meet regulatory requirements before being sold in the EU.

Electricity chargers and compress gas dispensers (the two new elements of the directive agreed today) will have a longer transitional period of 48 months to allow the administrations and the industry to prepare for the new rules.

The agreement also makes sure that national certificates for measuring devices issued before the approval of these amendments will remain valid for maximum 12 years after the amended directive comes into force.

Next steps

The provisional agreement now needs to be endorsed and formally adopted by both institutions.

Background

The Measuring Instruments Directive (MID) was established in 2004 and updated in 2014 to align with the principles of the new legislative framework. This revision introduced a unified set of obligations for economic operators and standardized conformity assessment procedures. However, the existing framework does not account for newer types of measuring instruments, and some key requirements have become outdated and no longer technology-neutral (such as display requirements). This limitation has hindered the adoption of modern digital solutions that would benefit consumers. The provisional agreement also addresses the increasing issue of vandalism and theft of cables at electric vehicle charging stations.

• Council agrees position on modernised rules for measuring instruments to support green and digital transition (press release, 8 October 2025)
• Council's negotiating mandate
• Commission's proposal on the amended measuring instruments directive
• Annexes to the proposal