ATEX is a commonly used synonym for the ATEX guidelines of the European Union. The name is derived from the French term ATmosphère EXplosive. The directive encompasses explosion protection guidelines 2014/34/EU for devices and 1999/92/EG for operations. ATEX guidelines are devised by the Director General of the EU commission Enterprise and Industry in cooperation with the member states, standardization organizations (CEN, CENELEC) and so called known organizations such as BAM, PTB, or TUEV to name examples from Germany.