The Hungarian National Committee of the European Organization for Quality (HNC for EOQ) has been a member of the European Organization for Quality (EOQ) beginning from its formation in 1972.

As laid down in the Statutes, main objectives of HNC for EOQ are summarized as follows:

• Cooperating with other non-profit organisations of the Hungarian quality experts and conjointly with specialists working at quality institutions to represent the Hungarian quality community in EOQ and in other international quality organizations.
• Widespread dissemination of quality information obtained from EOQ and other international quality organizations in the national quality community, contributing in this way to the development of quality as well as to the high quality levels of products and services.
• Implementation and running in Hungary of the EOQ Harmonized Scheme for the registration and certification of Hungarian quality experts.

Membership of HNC for EOQ consists of individual and corporate members (e.g. industrial and service companies, ministries, local authorities, consulting and certifying companies, research and education institutions, hospitals as well as other non-profit organizations and testing laboratories) committed to quality. On 31^rd December, 2005 HNC for EOQ had appr. 1700 individual members and 450 corporate members.

HNC for EOQ operates under its Statutes adopted by the General Delegates’ Assembly. Accordingly, activities of HNC for EOQ is managed by the Executive and the Board.

In 1991 HNC for EOQ was transformed into non-profit organization registered by the Metropolitan Court in early 1992 and legally declared to be a non-profit public-service organization retrospectively to 1^st January 1998.

The Hungarian National Committee for EOQ is registered by the Metropolitan Court, Budapest as a scientific- technical non-profit organization under No. 4264/1992.

The Board, Executive and Committees and Sections of the HNC for EOQ organize, coordinate and promote quality activities of the members.

Operation of HNC for EOQ and its Technical Committees and Sections as well as the responsibility and scope of the officers are described with full particulars in the Statutes available to anybody on the homepage and in the Annual Reports of the HNC for EOQ. In the followings only the most important activities and relations are reviewed.

Supreme organ of HNC for EOQ is the General (Delegates’) Assembly that should be organised at least once a year. The following most important items fall exclusively within the competence of the General (Delegates’) Assembly:

• Acceptance and modification of the Statutes by open voting;
• Electing the President and the Vice-Presidents, the members of the Executive and Board as well as the Chairman and members of the Supervision Commission by secret ballot for 4 years;
• Approving of the Annual Report and the Public Interest Report;
• Approving of the report submitted by the Supervision Commission;
• Declaration of the union with other organizations and of dissolution/liquidation.

The 40 members of the Board are elected by the General Assembly through secret ballot.

Main tasks of the Board:

• Controlling and monitoring management of the organization including the activity of personnel registration;
• Coordination of the activities by the Committees and Sections;
• Preparing agenda of the General (Delegates’) Assembly;
• Discussion of the mission and vision, as well as the annual objectives, tasks and programs;
• Preparing comments to the drafts of the Annual Report and the Public Interest Report;
• Determination of membership fees.

The Board holds its meeting at least twice a year which are convened by the President with a written invitation including the agenda.

The Executive consists of 9 members: the President, the 2 Vice-Presidents, the Executive President and the Executive Secretary as well as 4 members. Chairman of the Supervision Commission is permanently invited to the meetings of the Executive in an advisory (but not voting) capacity.

The Executive is the operative and leading organ of the non-profit organization. Its most important task is to prepare Board meetings and General (Delegates’) Assembly meetings as well as to coordinate exercising the Executive members’ rights and duties. The Executive is chairing by the President who is also the employer and can hand over tasks to the Vice-Presidents, the Executive President and the Executive Secretary in written form.

Main tasks of the Executive:

• Managing the organization’s technical and economic activities;
• Supervising the Technical Committees and Sections as well as regional activities;
• Preparing General (Delegates’) Assembly meetings;
• Development of the organization’s mission and vision as well as the annual objectives, tasks and programs;
• Approval of the annual budget;
• Preparing the Public Interest Report and the Annual Report;
• Elaborating proposals for the Board and the General (Delegates’) Assembly.

In general the Executive holds meetings four times a year which are convened by the President with a written invitation including the agenda..

The Supervision Commission of 5 members is the supervisory controlling organ of HNC for EOQ supervising its operation and economy.

The Ethical Commission operates in line with the Ethical Rules approved by the Board.

The European Organization for Quality (EOQ) has been making the certification of quality personnel since 1994.

The right of certification is transferred by EOQ to the National Full Member Organizations but only if they meet the accreditation requirements. On 26^th January, 1998 HNC for EOQ initiated its accreditation by the EOQ. At its meeting held in Paris on 18^th October, 1998 the EOQ Executive accepted the proposal and delivered the certificate to the HNC for EOQ. So HNC for EOQ has this right since 1998.

On 22^nd November, 2002 the EOQ General Secretariat prolonged the accreditation of HNC for further 3 years. The accredited EOQ national member organisation may recognize (accept) other institutions as subcontractors and may include them into the training of experts but its responsibility connected with the certification and registration remains unchanged.

In addition to its own courses (e.g. refreshing courses for the renewal of EOQ certificates) HNC for EOQ revises and registrates training centres holding courses which meet the EOQ harmonized requirements. Candidates taking a successful examination under the supervision of HNC for EOQ may directly ask for the EOQ certificate.

HNC for EOQ makes possible for every applying person the certification if the candidate meets the requirements specified by the EOQ. These requirements are published by HNC for EOQ on its website.

During the personnel certification procedure HNC for EOQ does not raise unjustified financial and other conditions; all measures are applied without any distinction. HNC for EOQ regularly publish the list of the certified and registered experts on the Internet, in its own periodical, and in the Annual Report.

The accredited national organizations belonging to the EOQ Certification and Registration Scheme regularly publish the list of the certified and registered experts on the Internet, in their own periodical, and the Annual Report.

The HNC Personnel Registration Unit (HNC PRU) is elected by the Board, the members of Certification Body (CB) are entrusted by the president and are reinforced by the Board. In order to avoid partiality, prejudice and incompatibility the candidates are examined by experts recognized in the national quality community.

Based on the submitted documents the Certification Body makes decision on the certification.

During its successful activities HNC for EOQ has delivered about 1300 EOQ certificates to Hungarian experts who completed one of the accepted national courses and took a successful examination or who certified their skills and activities of several years in the given special field by the attachment of the required documents.

Those certified experts, who are members of HNC for EOQ are also automatically members in the Education and Training Committee in order to follow up the training topics and current tasks in this field.

The Central Secretariat operates under the direct supervision of the President of HNC for EOQ.

Professional & Quality Director is responsible for developing, implementing, improving the Quality Management System, the for the operation of personal certification and she deals with quality-oriented projects. Economic Manager manages the financial activities.

Main tasks of the Central Secretariat:

• Keeping the membership file;
• Preparation and management of professional programs;
• Operative management of the finances;
• Arrangement, recording and administration of the ongoing/outgoing correspondence;
• Accomplishment of the administration.

Together with several external experts the Central Secretariat plays an important role in the operative activities of the organization.

The General Editor governs the activity of the Board.

Significant part of the professional activities of HNC for EOQ is performed in its Committees and Sections. At present HNC for EOQ runs 20 Committees and Sections which are operating openly, in cooperation with other professional non-profit organizations.

The Committees and Sections are established on a voluntary basis by the members of HNC for EOQ who want to operate together in the given professional area.

From among their own members the Committees and Sections elect their Chairman, Co-chairman and Secretary for 4 years by an open majority vote. Functional rules and regulations, the main objectives as well as their membership conditions are determined by the Committees and Sections themselves within the framework provided by their own internal rules.

Individually or cooperating with each other and with other quality-related institutions and organizations the Committees and Sections implemenet yearly appr. 60- 80 larger or smaller events (seminars, meetings or round-table discussions) in general without any registration fee.

• Membership fees paid by the individual and corporate members;
• Incomes from conferences and seminars;
• Incomes from refreshing and other training courses;
• Registration fees paid by the course organizing subcontractors (Training Centres);
• Fees of personnel registration/certification;
• Quality related tenders, projects;
• Other services (e.g. sale of proceedings).

• Membership Card;
• Annual Report of HNC for EOQ;
• The periodical titled “Quality & Dependability” and some other professional journals;
• Possibility to indicate the membership in HNC for EOQ;
• Publications and Proceedings of HNC for EOQ as well as other quality related documents for a reduced price or by chance free of charge;
• 10- 20 % discount from the registration fee of special training courses and of conferences and seminars organized by the HNC for EOQ;
• Assistance to the acceptance of presentations and publications at the international quality conferences;
• Providing favourable travelling conditions for groups to the EOQ Annual Congresses;
• Technical advice for member companies applying for the European Quality Award;
• Participation possibilities in projects of the HNC for EOQ.

• HNC for EOQ carries out yearly about 20 conferences and special training courses with registration fee for the members and other interested experts in the highlighted quality issues.
• Time and place of such events are included in the annual program published both in periodical “Quality & Dependability” and in the Annual Report as well as on the homepage of HNC for EOQ.
• Outstanding events of HNC for EOQ together with other quality organizations are connected with the World Quality Day in the European Quality Month (Week).

• Most grandiose project of HNC for EOQ has been so far the 44^th European Quality Congress held in Budapest Congress Center from 12^th to 16^th June, 2000. Slogan of the EOQ Congress 2000 was: “Business Excellence in the New Millennium - Quality for Society”. Together with the Pre-Congress Symposiums more than 1100 participants coming from 54 countries heard altogether 172 presentations at this highly successful Congress.
• From the outset HNC for EOQ had taken an active part in elaborating the European Quality Award model for small and medium-sized enterprises. Viewpoint of HNC for EOQ corresponding to the opinion of several other cooperating countries was considered and built in the final criteria system of this new European Quality Award.
• Participation of HNC for EOQ in several PHARE, EU and Hungarian Quality projects are also important activities.
• For the time being one of the most important projects is the quality training of civil servants in accordance with the EU quality policy as well as the support of the application of CAF Model in the National Public Administration.
• In addition to the projects listed above, HNC for EOQ is taking part in the implementation of the National Development Program as well as in the implementation of the Quality Award in the Hungarian Public Sector and of the Hungarian Agricultural Quality Award.

• Periodical titled “Quality & Dependability” is published in almost 3000 copies 6 times per year, beginning from 1997 as HNC for EOQ magazine. Beginning from 1^st January, 2006 the editorial of this periodical is run by HNC for EOQ. The edition of the periodical is supported by co-publishers and appr. 100 corporate members of HNC for EOQ.
• The “Annual Report of HNC for EOQ” has been published since 1992 regularly in every year. Apart from the events due in the current year also the valid Statutes of HNC for EOQ as well as the list of the individual and corporate members and the register of the EOQ experts certified by the HNC for EOQ are included in the Annual Reports.
• HNC for EOQ issues about 15 proceedings and booklets every year, mainly related to various quality events held in Hungary.
• Beginning from 1998 HNC for EOQ has its homepage on the Internet: http://www.eoq.hu
• Prepared by the Working Group of the Glossary Committee HNC for EOQ published in early 1999 a document titled “International Quality Glossary” which was sent to the members free of charge. The second extended edition of this very successful document was printed in 3000 copies in the first half of 2003.

• In the last decade the HNC for EOQ established the following independent non-profit organizations or took part in their foundation, which are now operating in close cooperation with the HNC for EOQ:

• Hungarian Quality Society (MMT) - from 1990;
• “ISO 9000 Forum of the Hungarian Certified Companies” (ISO 9000 Forum) - from 1994;
• “Hungarian Fruit Juice Producers’ Voluntary Quality Control Organization” (HFQ) - from 1994.

• Beginning from 1995 the HNC for EOQ is a Full Member Organization of the Federation of Scientific and Technical Associations (MTESZ) in Hungary.
• Beginning from 1995 the HNC for EOQ is member of the National Accreditation Body (NAT) and beginning from 1996 of the Conformity Certification Forum (MTF).
• In 1997 the HNC for EOQ agreed mutual membership with the non-profit organisations: HUNGAROLAB and GTE (Technical and Scientific Enquiring Society).

• Beginning from 1972 HNC is a Full Member Organization of the European Organization for Quality (EOQ) representing Hungary there.
• Beginning from 1996 it is an Associate Member of the Institute of Quality Assurance (United Kingdom).
• Beginning from 1997 HNC is a full member of the International Society for Quality in Health Care.
• Beginning from 1997 HNC is a member of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM).

• Beginning from 2002 HNC is an Associate Member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ).
• In 1994 the the HNC for EOQ signed a “Cooperation Agreement” with the Flemish Quality Organization and since 1994 it has close cooperation with the Romanian Organization for Quality.
• In 1997 the HNC for EOQ signed a “Cooperation Agreement” with the Australian Organization for Quality (AOQ).
• In 2000 the HNC for EOQ signed a “Cooperation Agreement” with the Korean Standardization Association (KSA).
• In addition to the listed quality organizations the HNC for EOQ maintains close working relations with all EOQ Full Member Organizations (FMOs).
• HNC for EOQ is in contact with the quality organizations of other European and non-European countries, among which the followings should be mentioned:


• China Association for Quality (CAQ- China),
• Instituto Argentino Para La Calidad (IACC- Argentina),
• Quality Organization of Iran (QOI- Iran),
• Israel Society for Quality (ISQ- Israel),
• Shanghai Quality Control Association of China (SQCA- China),
• Singapore Productivity and Standards Board (Singapore),
• Union of Japanese Scientists & Engineers (JUSE- Japan).