Chapter 3.01 Free movement of goods as part of the European Union’s internal market policy encompasses regulations that govern the removal of all trade barriers between Member States so that legally placed products on the EU market can move freely from one Member State to another. The removal of restrictions on the free movement of goods at EU level is achieved primarily by harmonising the national technical regulations of Member States. European technical law (so-called harmonised area) has been adopted for high-risk manufacturing sectors to ensure an equal level of protection of public health, the environment, and consumers across the Union.

Those manufacturing sectors that are not covered by the European technical law (non-harmonised area) are guided by the mutual recognition principle, according to which products produced and placed on the market or put into service in one EU Member State should, in principle, be allowed to move freely to other EU Member States.