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Annex A — Coherence elements for vertical standards

Annex A (informative) provides instructions for technical committees developing vertical (product-category specific) standards under European Commission standardization request M/606.

What Annex A requires​

Vertical standards (such as ETSI EN 304 6xx for firewalls, hypervisors, and smart home gateways) ensure coherence with horizontal frameworks by:

  • Aligning terminology with FprEN 40000-1-1:2026.
  • Applying product cybersecurity principles from Clause 5.
  • Implementing Clause 6 risk management to define technical specifications for CRA Annex I Part I essential requirements.
  • Applying Clause 7 lifecycle activities and prEN 40000-1-3 vulnerability handling processes for CRA Annex I Part II requirements.

How CVD Portal supports compliance​

CVD Portal integrates horizontal and vertical standards into a unified compliance workflow:

  • Product classifier: Proposes a CRA Annex III or Annex IV category for your product. You confirm the category. The classifier then shows the ETSI EN 304 or other CEN-CENELEC standard that covers that category.
  • Conformity assessment route mapping: Derives the Article 32 conformity assessment route from the product category. The route is Module A, Module B+C, Module H, or EUCC. A vertical standard does not change the route.