29.3.2014 Official Journal of the European Union L 96/357 DIRECTIVE 2014/35/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 February 2014 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits (recast) (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 114 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments, Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1), Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (3), Whereas: (1) A number of amendments are to be made to Directive 2006/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006 on the harmonisation of the laws of Member States relating to electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits (}). In the interests of clarity, that Directive should be recast. (2)  Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 setting out the requirements for accreditation and market surveillance relating to the marketing of products (%) lays down rules on the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies, provides a framework for the market surveillance of products and for controls on products from third countries, and lays down the general principles of the CE marking. (3)  Decision No 768/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 on a common () O] C 181, 21.6.2012, p. 105. (%) Position of the European Parliament of of 5 February 2014 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and decision of the Council of 20 February 2014. () OJ L 374, 27.12.2006, p. 10. Directive 2006/95/EC is the codifi- cation of Council Directive 73/23/EEC of 19 February 1973 on the harmonization of the laws of Member States relating to electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits (O] L 77, 26.3.1973, p. 29). (% OJ L 218, 13.8.2008, p. 30. framework for the marketing of products (°) lays down common principles and reference provisions intended to apply across sectoral legislation in order to provide a coherent basis for revision or recasts of that legislation. Directive 2006/95/EC should therefore be adapted to that Decision. (4)  This Directive covers electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits which is new to the Union market when it is placed on the market; that is to say it is either new electrical equipment made by a manufacturer established in the Union or electrical equipment, whether new or second-hand, imported from a third country. (5)  This Directive should apply to all forms of supply, including distance selling. (6)  Economic operators should be responsible for the compliance of electrical equipment with this Directive, in relation to their respective roles in the supply chain, so as to ensure a high level of protection of public interests, such as health and safety of persons, of domestic animals and property, and to guarantee fair competition on the Union market. (7)  All economic operators intervening in the supply and distribution chain should take appropriate measures to ensure that they only make available on the market elec- trical equipment which is in conformity with this Directive. It is necessary to provide for a clear and proportionate  distribution  of  obligations  which correspond to the role of each economic operator in the supply and distribution chain. (8)  In order to facilitate communication between economic operators, market surveillance authorities and consumers, Member States should encourage economic operators to include a website address in addition to the postal address. (9 The manufacturer, having detailed knowledge of the design and production process, is best placed to carry out the conformity assessment procedure. Conformity assessment should therefore remain solely the obligation of the manufacturer. There is no conformity assessment procedure in this Directive which requires the inter- vention of a notified body. () OJ L 218, 13.8.2008, p. 82.