National Inspectorates - Lithuania

Authorities responsible for REACH, CLP, PIC and POP enforcement

Responsibility for the implementation of REACH, CLP, PIC and POP in Lithuania is divided between four ministries: Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Social Security and Labour, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Finance. Each of these ministries has the corresponding enforcement institutions responsible for enforcement activities according to their areas of competence.

Authorities responsible for REACH and CLP enforcement:

• Environmental Protection Department (Ministry of Environment) - Focusing on manufacture, import and professional use of chemicals. The enforcement activities are related to the industrial chemicals group.
• State Labour Inspectorate (Ministry of Social Security and Labour) performs the control of the safe use of chemicals in the workplace, conduct inspections on the safety of workers from the risks related to exposure to chemicals
• State Consumer Rights Protection Authority (Ministry of Justice) is authorised to perform the market surveillance of non-food products that are used for personal or household needs.
• Customs of the Republic of Lithuania (Ministry of Finance) performs controls on the import, export and transit of chemicals carried from and to third (non-EU) countries

Authorities responsible for Biocides enforcement

In Lithuania there are five enforcement authorities responsible (under 5 different ministries) for implementing the requirements of Regulation (EU) No 528/2012: State Consumer Rights Protection Authority (Ministry of Justice), State Labour Inspectorate (Ministry of Social Security and Labour), State Food and Veterinary Service (Ministry of Agriculture), National Public Health Centre (that also acts as competent institution, Ministry of Health) and Customs of the Republic of Lithuania (Ministry of Finance).

State Consumer Right Protection Authority ensures that products that has been made available on the market are authorized as well as correctly classified, packaged and labelled according Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 and checks if the active substances contained in biocidal products that have been used to treat articles with are included in the Regulation (EU) No. 528/2012 Annex I or the European Union list of approved active substances and if treated articles that have been placed on the market are labelled in compliance with BPR requirements. The authority also surveys whether authorization holders are keeping records of the biocidal products they placed on the market and, together with State Food Veterinary Service and National Public Health Centre, whether products‘ manufacturers are filling the appropriate manufacturing process-related documents in paper or electronic format. The responsibility for enforcing the advertising requirements in Lithuania also lies with State Consumer Right Protection Authority.

State Labour Inspectorate together with State Food Veterinary Service and National Public Health Centre, regarding their areas of competence, enforce the usage of biocidal products. These institutions survey whether biocidal products have been used in accordance to special authorized conditions.

Customs of the Republic of Lithuania is responsible to supervise whether products that have been imported from the third countries are authorized according BPR.

Coordination of Lithuanian enforcement institutions

Lithuanian enforcement institutions are involved in a coordination scheme through the ECHA Forum and through the national Interinstitutional Coordination Group (IC Group). Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, Ministry of Environment) has the mandate to represent Lithuania in the ECHA Forum (National Public Health centre – in Forum subgroup for BPR). In order to facilitate the exchange of relevant information between national state institutions, the EPA coordinates the enforcement activities related to the implementation of the REACH, CLP, PIC, POP and BPR Regulations within the Republic of Lithuania. Pursuing these goals, the EPA established the national IC Group. Regular meetings of the IC Group are held 2-3 times per year and  are conducted in accordance with the agreed Rules of Procedure. The main national enforcement authorities participating in this Group are:

• Environmental Protection Department (Ministry of Environment)
• State Labour Inspectorate (Ministry of Social Security and Labour)
• State Consumer Rights Protection Authority (Ministry of Justice)
• Customs Department (Ministry of Finance)
• National Public Health Centre (Ministry of Health)
• Environmental Protection Agency (Ministry of Environment)