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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: Automatically classifies your product into CRA Annex III categories and identifies applicable ETSI EN 304 or CENELEC vertical standards.
  • Harmonized control mapping: Bridges horizontal EN 40000 requirements with vertical standard provisions, eliminating duplicate evidence entry.
  • Conformity assessment route mapping: Guides you to the correct conformity assessment path (Module A internal control versus Module H/H1 third-party assessment) based on product category and vertical standard applicability.