Designation, notification, annual review: how notified bodies are supervised in Hungary

The weight of a CE certificate comes from the fact that the body issuing it is itself under continuous state supervision. In the field of personal protective equipment that supervision follows a precise legal order: designation, notification, an annual report and an annual review. Below we walk through how the system is built in Hungary.

The designating authority and the legal framework

The general rules for designating conformity assessment bodies are set out in Act CXXXIII of 2009 on the activities of conformity assessment bodies, and in Government Decree 315/2009. (XII. 28.) on the designation of conformity assessment bodies and the detailed rules governing the activities of designated bodies.

For personal protective equipment, sector-specific rules apply on top of these: Government Decree 30/2018. (II. 28.) on the rules for designating bodies that assess the conformity of personal protective equipment and for reviewing their activities. Under that decree the designating authority is the minister responsible for employment policy; the task is currently performed through the Directorate for Occupational Safety of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Family Affairs.

Where a body meets the conditions, the designation is granted for an indefinite period and recorded in a designating document. That document names the PPE types and designation areas in which the body may act.

From designation to the NANDO register

Designation alone does not yet make a body a notified body. The designating authority notifies the designated body to the European Commission and the Member States; this is when the body receives its four-digit identification number and appears in the European Commission NANDO database. It is also listed in the national register kept under Section 8 of Act CXXXIII of 2009.

Article 24 of Regulation (EU) 2016/425 sets out the requirements a notified body must meet: independence, impartiality, professional competence, and adequate resources and procedures. Compliance can be demonstrated in two ways — through accreditation, or through the designating authority assessing the body directly against those same requirements. Both routes are equally valid.

Annual report, annual review

A designated body prepares a written report on the conformity assessment work it performed during the year, and sends it to the designating authority by 31 January of the following year. The report covers, among other things, the economic operators served, the EU type-examination certificates issued and withdrawn, the inspections carried out, and the handling of complaints received from economic operators.

The annual review follows: the designating authority examines whether the body still meets the conditions of notification — whether it operates its quality management system, whether its professional and technical competence has changed, whether its documentation needs updating, and whether it properly investigated the complaints it received.

If the conditions are not met

This supervision is not a formality. Under Section 20 of Government Decree 315/2009. (XII. 28.), the designating authority may suspend a designation where the body breaches the rules governing conformity assessment activity, and may withdraw it where the body no longer meets the requirements, breaches them seriously, obstructs an inspection, or fails to restore compliance after a suspension.

What this means for a manufacturer

• The four-digit identification number on a certificate can be checked in the NANDO database at any time, confirming that the designation is valid and what it covers
• A designation always relates to a specific product scope: it is worth checking that the chosen body is genuinely designated for the protective equipment in question
• Supervision of the body is continuous rather than one-off: the annual report and the annual review recur year after year

The 2026 review of GÉPTESZT

The 2026 review of GÉPTESZT Kft. (NB 2233) has been completed: in a notification dated 17 August 2026, the Directorate for Occupational Safety of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Family Affairs established compliance with the conditions of notification. Our designating document remains valid, and we continue to be listed under identification number NB 2233 both in the national register and in the NANDO database. The review was carried out by the Designation Preparatory Committee, examining our compliance both as a certification (testing) body and as an inspection body.