John, 

Based on my companies experience and interpretation so far (we export
equipment to the EEC countries);

The requirement you are referring to has been in effect since January 1 1995,
for all equipment sold into any of the EEC countries.

The Directive applicable to your equipment is probably European Community
Machinery Directive Number 89/392/EEC.
This document lists the minimum requirements your equipment must comply with,
with a heavy focus on electrical componenets and mechanical design issues.  

The CE marking is a self declaration of compliance with the directive,
applied by the manufacturer, as specified in the document.  (It is not a
quality or safety mark such as with UL labelling.)  

There is an International company with offices in the U.S. that does seminars
on the Directives, and compliance with them, sells copies and also offers
testing (inspection) of equipment for compliance;

TUV Rheinland
Skokie,   Illinois
(708) 679-2888
FAX          -6898


I hope this information is helpful!

Adam Davies
JJA (Johnson & Johnston Associates)