Designated bodies (DeBo) and Notified bodies (NoBo)
At the request of manufacturers or their authorised representatives, conformity assessment bodies are responsible for assessing the conformity or suitability for use of railway equipment on the basis of the national rules (designated bodies) or the European technical specifications for interoperability (notified bodies).
The Belgian notifying body, the Directorate-general of the FPS Mobility and Transport responsible for railway matters, is in charge of drawing up and implementing the procedures for the assessment, notification, designation and monitoringof conformity assessment bodies. The conformity assessment bodies that want to be recognised as a designated body (DeBo) or as a notified body (NoBo) in Belgium are invited to submit their application for recognition to the notifying body, following the procedure laid down for that purpose.
Since its entry into force on 31 October 2020, Directive (EU) 2016/797(link is external) sets out the new European regulatory framework applicable to conformity assessment bodies.
In order to be recognised as a designated body or as a notified body on that date, each conformity assessment body must have been designated or notified in compliance with the new European framework.
In Belgium, the bodies that want to be designated or notified must submit their application to the notifying body in accordance with the procedure laid down for that purpose. However, these designations and these notifications can only take place after Directive (EU) 2016/797 is transposed into Belgian law. The publication of the law and of the royal implementing decrees required for this transposition should take place in the first quarter of 2021.
Pending this publication, and in order to safeguard as far as possible the continuity of the activities of the designated and notified bodies, the notifying body encourages the bodies that want to be designated or notified in accordance with the new European framework to submit their application as soon as possible by following the procedure laid down for that purpose.