Orientering fra Miljøstyrelsen, 4/2006 – Miljøstyrelsens Kemikalieinspektion - årsberetning 2005

Miljøstyrelsens Kemikalieinspektion - årsberetning 2005

10 Summary and conclusion

The Chemical Inspection Service is responsible for Danish EPA supervision of legislation regulating chemicals in Denmark: the Act on Chemical Substances and Products, statutory orders, and regulations and circulars issued under the Act.

In 2005, the Chemical Inspection Service gave priority to tasks in the following areas:

control of pesticides
control of toxic chemical substances and products
control of classification and labelling of chemical products
preparations to transfer part of control of pesticides to another authority
processing notifications
follow-up of infringements found in connection with Danish EPA work with consumer products
REACH, the future EU chemicals legislation
participation in international cooperation

Supervision and enforcement of chemicals regulation are core objectives of the Chemical Inspection Service. In 2005 the Inspection Service launched eight campaigns focussing on pesticides, biocides, classification and labelling, and various limitations on use.

In connection with some of the campaigns, publications were issued – see Annex B (Survey of publications – in Danish).

In 2005, the Chemical Inspection Service carried out 119 inspections in connection with its control of compliance with regulation on chemical substances and products classified as “toxic” or “very toxic”. The Chemical Inspection Service places high priority on this control work.

Enforcement reports from enterprises, consumer organisations and private persons were considered by the Chemical Inspection Service. In 2005 the Service received 209 reports. This is slightly less than for the preceding year, when the Chemical Inspection Service received 227 notifications. However, it is still twice as many as for the years 2002-2003.

A total of 21 reports were handed over to the public prosecution service.

Each year the Chemical Inspection Service initiates its own inspection cases. In 2005, the Service took up 28 cases for inspection. These included 14 cases arising from inspection visits at companies which have previously had problems complying with the chemicals legislation. The other cases were initiated because the Chemical Inspection Service became aware of transgressions through inspections for other purposes or through the media.

In 2005, 14 criminal cases of infringement of chemicals regulations were concluded. Twelve cases resulted in fines. The level of fines ranged between DKK 5,000- 25,000/ EURO 669 – 3,350. The largest fine was imposed in a case regarding infringement of Council Regulation no. 2047/2000 of 29 June 2000 as amended by Regulation no. 2038/2000 of 28 September 2000 on substances that deplete the ozone layer.

From 28 to 30 September 2005, Germany hosted the annual meeting of CLEEN(Chemical Legislation European Enforcement Network). The Network aims at strengthening cooperation among European chemical inspection services, thus improving the knowledge and understanding of and compliance with the chemicals regulation, and at making sure that manufacturers and importers operate under equal conditions in all countries. At the meeting, the results were presented of the common EuroPCB project on disposal of PCB. A status report was presented for the E-commerce project on control of chemicals traded on the Internet. Denmark is taking part in next year’s project on control of azo dyes. It was decided to initiate a new project, EuroBiocides, in 2007.

The chemical inspection services in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark have joined together in the formal “Nordic Inspection Group” under the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Nordic Chemical Group. The group works to set up and maintain a network of inspection service staff to contribute jointly to selected inspection areas, and to coordinate the Nordic efforts at EU/EEA level.

Norway hosted the annual meeting. Status was taken at the meeting of the common projects in progress: control of labelling of artists paints and supervision of the forthcoming EU chemicals regulation, REACH. The next common supervision project will be classification and labelling of car-care products.