Development of customs control capacity of the Forensic Institute of the National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary

2026-07-22

The activity conducted by the customs laboratories is of exceptional importance for the customs authorities. As a result of the changes of international trade that took place in the past decades, the role of customs laboratories has been expanded to include active participation in the fight against the harming of the environment, checks for the protection of endangered plant and animal species, as well as the fight against the illegal trafficking of hazardous goods, chemical weapons, drugs and drug precursors. The Forensic Institute (hereinafter referred to as: Institute) of the National Tax and Customs Adminsitration (hereinafter: NTCA) acts in matters related to chemistry, tariff classification and tax classification and in product counterfeiting cases as judicial expert based on the appointment of the bodies of the NTCA, the police, the court or the prosecutor’s office. In addition, it also performs the analytical testing and identification of prohibited and unknown chemicals (typically new psychoactive materials, i.e. “designer” drugs) and chemicals that are subject to license received in commercial goods traffic submitted by the bodies of the NTCA. In order to perform such activities and to achieve the most accurate and reliable results possible, the Institute must be equipped with modern instrument applying the latest technology and should expand the range of accredited tests it can perform. Taking into consideration the above, aim of this proposal is to develop and reform the inventory of the Institute.

Hungary

2025-12-15