Member States shall notify to the Commission and the other Member States the bodies responsible for carrying out the procedure for the assessment of conformity or suitability for use referred to in Article 13 and the verification procedure referred to in Article 18, indicating each body's area of responsibility, and the identification numbers obtained in advance from the Commission. The Commission shall publish in the Official Journal of the European Communities the list of bodies, their identification numbers and areas of responsibility, and shall keep the list updated.

Member States shall apply the criteria provided for in Annex VII for the assessment of the bodies to be notified. Bodies meeting the assessment criteria provided for in the relevant European standards shall be deemed to meet the said criteria.

A Member State shall withdraw approval from a body which no longer meets the criteria referred to in Annex VII. It shall forthwith inform the Commission and the other Member States thereof.

Should a Member State or the Commission consider that a body notified by another Member State does not meet the relevant criteria, the matter shall be referred to the Committee provided for in Article 21, which shall deliver its opinion within three months. In the light of the opinion of the Committee, the Commission shall inform the Member State in question of any changes that are necessary for the notified body to retain the status conferred upon it.

Where appropriate, coordination of the notified bodies shall be implemented in accordance with Articles 21 and 22.