Methodology — sources and verification

Every regulatory claim this hub and its guides surface traces to a primary, official source. This page documents where the facts come from, how they are verified, and how often.

Sources

The regulatory facts rendered across the hub and the guides come from:

• EUR-Lex — the official text of the EU regulations the guides cite: Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR), Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 (energy labelling framework), Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 (batteries), Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (DSA), Directive 2012/19/EU (WEEE), and their delegated acts.
• European Commission — application dates and guidance, e.g. the GPSR applicability date (13 December 2024) and the smartphone/tablet energy-label start date of 20 June 2025.
• EPREL — the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling, the registry the EPREL guides describe.
• gesetze-im-internet.de — German federal statute texts, e.g. § 15 EnVKG (fines up to €50,000 for energy-labelling breaches).

How verification works

• Every regulatory claim on this site carries a verification date. The current dataset was verified on 12 June 2026 against the sources above.
• The dated facts live in one machine-checked dataset inside the site's codebase; automated tests lock each value to its citation, so a value cannot silently drift from the source it claims.
• Each guide shows two dates: "Last updated" (when the page content last changed) and "Data verified ... against ..." (when the facts were last re-checked, with the sources linked).
• The 2026-06-12 verification pass also corrected two earlier errors — the Battery Regulation's repeal date for Directive 2006/66/EC (18 August 2025, not February 2024) and the misattribution of German energy-label enforcement (it sits with the Länder market-surveillance authorities, not a single federal agency).

Refresh cadence

• The regulatory dataset is re-verified on a monthly refresh cycle, and immediately after major events (a new regulation becoming applicable, a delegated act expanding EPREL scope, a repeal date passing).
• If more than 30 days pass since the verification date, the site marks its data as stale rather than pretending freshness.
• Scheduled watch items: the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 becomes applicable in January 2027, and the Battery Regulation's phased obligations continue through 2027.

What the tools promise — and what they don't

The SellerGuardrails tools produce planning answers: they apply the published rules to the facts you enter. They do not produce binding classifications or legal rulings — national market-surveillance authorities and marketplaces make the final determination on any product or listing. For regulated high-risk categories (medical devices, machinery, toys with notified-body routes), confirm with a qualified EU-compliance professional before shipping.