National Inspectorates - Lithuania

Responsibility for the implementation of REACH, CLP, PIC, BPR and POP in Lithuania is divided between six ministries: Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Social Security and Labour, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture 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) – 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 BPR enforcement

• State Consumer Rights Protection Authority (Ministry of Justice) – ensures that products that has been made available on the market are authorized as well as correctly classified, packaged and labelled according BPR Regulation and checks if the active substances contained in biocidal products that have been used to treat articles with are included in the BPR Regulation 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 responsibility for enforcing the advertising requirements in Lithuania also lies with State Consumer Right Protection Authority.
• State Food and Veterinary Service (Ministry of Agriculture) together with State Consumer Right Protection Authority and National Public Health Centre survey whether authorization holders are keeping records of the biocidal products they placed on the market and whether products’ manufacturers are filling the appropriate manufacturing process-related documents in paper or electronic format.
• State Labour Inspectorate (Ministry of Social Security and Labour) 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 with special authorized conditions.
• Customs of the Republic of Lithuania (Ministry of Finance) – responsible to supervise whether products that have been imported from the third countries are authorized according BPR.
• National Public Health Centre (acting also as competent institution, Ministry of Health), when performing controls of public health safety according to the area of its competence (health care institutions, social service institutions, hairdressers, beauty salons, solariums, swimming pools, laundries, sports clubs, accommodation services, etc.) ensures that biocidal products are authorized and used properly according to their authorisation conditions.

Authorities responsible for POP enforcement

• Environmental Protection Department (Ministry of Environment)
• State Food and Veterinary Service (Ministry of Agriculture)
• State Consumer Rights Protection Authority (Ministry of Justice)
• Customs of the Republic of Lithuania (Ministry of Finance)

Authorities responsible for PIC enforcement

• Environmental Protection Department (Ministry of Environment)
• Customs of the Republic of Lithuania (Ministry of Finance)

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, BPR, POP and PIC 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 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)