IFCS Indicators of Progress
Priorities for Action beyond 2000
and
Forum Recommendations
QUESTIONNAIRE
Please provide the information described on the following pages concerning your country,
giving the current status, and, to the extent possible, that foreseen in the near future.
Important Note:
At its 63rd meeting, the IFCS Forum Standing Committee (FSC) recommended that the
IFCS Secretariat post completed questionnaires on the IFCS website, to increase
transparency and for ease of reference.
Please check the following box if your country does NOT wish to have its completed
questionnaire posted for public viewing on the IFCS website: □
If you do not check this box, your completed country questionnaire will be posted at
www.ifcs.ch following its submission.
Please complete:
COUNTRY: Republic of Latvia
Reporting year:
2006
(circle appropriate year)
2007
2008
1
1.
NATIONAL CAPABILITIES AND CAPACITIES FOR CHEMICALS MANAGEMENT
Priorities for Action E1 and E21
1a)
Has a comprehensive National Chemicals Management Profile, or other
equivalent strategic national plan, been developed
through a multi-stakeholder process2?
National Profile
Yes
X
Other equivalent strategic national plan
No
□
Yes
X
No
□
If "Yes" to either of the above, please indicate the original publication date and
the date(s) of any revisions.
1998, needs to be updated ____________________________________________
If "Yes" to either of the above, please list all ministries, agencies and
organizations that participated:
State Environmental Inspectorate (currently – State Environmental Service), Ministry
of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (currently – Ministry of the
Environment), Ministry of Welfare (currently – Ministry of Health and Ministry of
Wealfare).____________________________________________________________
If "No", is your country in the process of developing or planning on developing a
Comprehensive National Chemicals Management Profile?
Yes
□ Expected completion date ___________ No □
If "No", have equivalent measures such as a government investigation on
chemical safety followed by legislative measures been undertaken?
Yes
□
No
□
If "Yes", please describe:
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
1
The Priorities for Action Beyond 2000 may be viewed on the IFCS website at www.ifcs.ch.
A multi-stakeholder process is a process involving all concerned national ministries and other government
institutions, as well as other interested national parties.
2
2
1b)
Has your country developed any of the following on the sound management of
chemicals?
National Policies
If yes, please
provide year
completed.
2004 (part of the
National
Environmental
Protection Policy
Plan (20042008))
If development is in progress,
please provide the expected
completion year?
National Priorities
National Strategies
National Action Plans
1c)
No
X
2002 (guidelines
version)
2006 – Safe
Chemicals
Management
included as part
of the
Government
Action Plan
Has your country established an inter-ministerial/intersectoral coordinating
mechanism (e.g. committee or body) to facilitate the comprehensive treatment of
chemical safety issues?
Yes
X
No
□
If "Yes":
What is the name of the "mechanism"?
Working Group on Chemical Safety.
When was it established?
March 2004; strengthened in 2006, involving higher policy level stakeholders.
2.
CLASSIFICATION AND LABELLING OF CHEMICALS
Priority for Action B1
2a)
Has your country initiated work to adopt and implement the Globally Harmonized
System for Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS)?
Yes
X
No
□
If "Yes", what is the expected date (year) GHS will be fully operational?
2008 (as with other EU countries); transitional period is possible______________
3
2b)
Has your country ratified and implemented ILO Convention 170 on Safety in the
Use of Chemicals at Work3, or instituted comparable measures?
Yes
3.
X
No
□
NATIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION ON HAZARDOUS
CHEMICALS
Priority for Action C1
3a)
What arrangements are operational in your country for the exchange of
information on hazardous chemicals? Please describe.
Please indicate if the established infrastructure includes:
1) website where national partners can gain access to chemical information
sources,
Yes
X
No
□
2) institutional directory listing sources of information
Yes
4.
X
No
□
NATIONAL PROCEDURES ON SAFETY INFORMATION FOR HAZARDOUS MATERIALS IN
CIRCULATION
Priority for Action C3
4a)
Does your country have procedures in place to ensure that any hazardous material
put into circulation is accompanied, at a minimum, by appropriate and reliable
safety information that is easy to access, read and understand?
Yes
X
No
□
If "Yes":
Are the procedures consistent with the safety data sheets of the 1990 International
Labour Organization Chemicals Convention (No.170)?
Yes
X
No
□
Do they conform to the Globally Harmonized System for the Classification and
Labelling Of Chemicals?
Yes
X
No
□
3
ILO Convention 170 may be viewed on the ILO website at:
http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/convdisp1.htm
4
5.
ECOLOGICALLY SOUND AND INTEGRATED STRATEGIES FOR PEST MANAGEMENT
Priority for Action D1
5a)
Has your country prepared integrated pest management strategies?
Yes
□
No
X (partly covered by Public Health Strategy)
If "Yes", were national studies done to develop the strategies?
Yes
6.
□
No
□
OBSOLETE STOCKS OF PESTICIDES AND OTHER CHEMICALS
Priority for Action D2
6a)
Are there any obsolete stocks of pesticides and/or other chemicals in your
country?
Yes
6b)
X
No
□
Has your country prepared an action plan for disposal of obsolete stocks of
pesticides and other chemicals?
Yes
X
No
□
If "Yes", has the action plan been implemented?
Yes
X
No
□
If "Yes", has the action plan been completed?
Yes
X
No
□
If "No", is work in progress to prepare an action plan?
Yes
No
7.
□ If yes, what is the expected completion date (year)?
□
___________
If no, why not? _________________________________________
NATIONAL SYSTEMS FOR PREVENTION OF MAJOR INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AND
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE
Priority for Action D4
7a)
Has your country implemented a national system for emergency preparedness and
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response, in accordance with international principles 4?
Yes
X
No
□
If "No", is work in progress to implement the system?
Yes
7b)
No
□
Is there a national law requiring the system?
Yes
7c)
□ expected completion date (year)? _______________
X
No
□
Has your country ratified and implemented ILO Convention 174 5 on Prevention
of Major Industrial Accidents?
Yes
□
No
X however requirements implemented by Directive
96/82/EC, Seveso II (Regulations of Cabinet of Ministers
No.532,19 of July, 2005)
Latvia has 75 such enterprises; in 2006 controlled 40
If "No", are efforts under way to do so?
Yes
8.
□
No
X
INTERNATIONAL CODE OF CONDUCT ON THE DISTRIBUTION AND USE OF PESTICIDES
8a)
Has your government implement the revised International Code of Conduct on
the Distribution and Use of Pesticides (November 2002) 6 as the basis for a
comprehensive life cycle approach to pesticide management ?
Yes
X
No
□
If "No", are efforts under way to do so?
Yes
□
No
□
4
Ref. OECD Second Edition 2003 Guiding Principles for Chemical Accident Prevention, Preparedness and
Response, undertaken in cooperation with other international organizations, including ILO, IMO, UNECE,
UNEP, UNOCHA (UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit) and WHO.
5
ILO Convention 170 may be viewed on the ILO website at:
http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/convdisp1.htm
6
The International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides may be viewed at:
http://www.fao.org/AG/AGP/AGPP/Pesticid/
6
8b)
Have the provisions of the Code of Conduct been implemented through other
pieces of legislation or by other means?
Yes
X
No
□
If "Yes", please briefly describe.
Law on Plant Protection and subsequent legislation by means of Regulations of
the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia._______________________
______________________________________________________________
9.
POISON CENTRES
Priority for Action D7
9a)
Have poison centre(s) been established in your country?
Yes
X
No
□
If "Yes", please indicate classification level for each poison centre:
WHO Status of Development Classification
well-established centres, the full range of clinical analytical and other relevant facilities
A
and cover the whole country.
well-established centres, but lack some of the related facilities or do not provide full
B
coverage to the country. These centres require further development in order to meet
the ideal criteria for centres given in the IPCS Guidelines
certain facilities for poison control, but require major support to develop further areas
C
of activities, according to the criteria in the IPCS Guidelines, and should expand
coverage through the country.
Centre (Name &
location)
Poison Centre,
Clinical
University
Hospital
“Gailezers” of
Riga City
Municipality,
Date
Established
1987
Classification initial
B
State Poison
Centre
Hipokrata iela 2,
Riga, LV-1038,
Latvia
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Classification 2000
B
Poison Centre of
Riga City
Municipality
Classification current
B
Poison Centre of Riga
City Municipality
9b)
Is strengthening of poison centers planned?
If "Yes", for what time period?
NOT planned._________________
9c)
If there are no established poison centres in your country, is work under way in
your country to establish a poison control centre with related chemical and
analytical facilities for the first time?
Yes
□
No
□
If "Yes" when do you expect the poison control centre to be operational? Please
provide location and date (year).
________________________________________________________
10.
POLLUTANT RELEASE AND TRANSFER REGISTERS/EMISSION INVENTORIES
Priority for Action D8
10a)
Has your country established:
An air emission inventory?
Yes
X
□
No
A land emission inventory?
Yes
X
No
□
A water emission inventory?
Yes
X
No
□
No
□
A waste inventory?
Yes
X
A Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR)?
Yes
X
No
□
If "No", is work being initiated to design a PRTR or emission inventory
system?
Yes
□
No
□
8
10 b) Has your country implemented a system comparable to the PRTR (e.g. the
Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control)?
Yes
11.
X
No
□
PREVENTION OF ILLEGAL TRAFFIC IN TOXIC & DANGEROUS PRODUCTS
Priority for Action F
11a)
Has your country developed a national strategy, or other national measures (e.g.
legislation, action plans) for the prevention of illegal traffic in toxic and
dangerous products?
Yes
□
No
X
If "Yes", when was it prepared? Please indicate date (year)
12.
Children and Chemical Safety (Forum IV Recommendation)
12a)
Has your government prepared, through multi-stakeholder consultation,
initial national assessments of children’s environmental health and
chemical safety?
Yes
X
No
□
In process of preparing new Environmental-Health Action Plan.
If "No", are efforts under way to do so?
Yes
12b)
□
No
□
Has your government taken action to promote harmonized data collection,
research, legislation and regulations, and the use of indicators of children’s
environmental health?
Yes
X
No
□
If "Yes", please briefly describe:
Public Health Agency has prepared overview “Environmental Health
indicators for Latvia 2005”, including indicators for children’s environmental
health aspects.
If "No", are efforts under way to do so?
Yes
□
No
□
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13. HAZARD DATA GENERATION (Forum IV Recommendation)
13a)
Has your government established national priorities for information
generation for chemicals that are not produced in high volumes?
Yes
□
No
X
If "No", are efforts under way to do so?
Yes
X
No
□
Other Forum IV Recommendations address:
Please provide brief information on specific actions your government has taken to
respond to the recommendations of Forum IV in these areas:
Occupational Safety and Health;
Acutely Toxic Pesticides – risk management and reduction;
Capacity building;
INFOCAP (Information Exchange Network on Capacity Building for the Sound
Management of Chemicals ) implementation.
Occupational Safety and Health:
The occupational and safety system established is in full compliance with the relevant EU
directives and regulations. No further actions going beyond those requirements have been
taken.
Acutely Toxic Pesticides – risk management and reduction:
Latvian pesticides registration system complies with the EU Plant Protection Products
Directive 91/414/EEC. The PPP Directive ensures highest level of human/animal health and
environmental protection.
Biocidal Products Directive 98/8/EC is implemented; however national interim registration
system is not fully compatible with the BP Directive yet.
General risk management measures are applicable for both PPPs and BPs.
Capacity building:
GEF funded project “Latvia: Environmentally Sound Disposal of PCBs Containing
Equipment and Waste” initiated.
Finished capacity building Latvian-Swedish bilateral project “Support to Latvia on Chemicals
Control 2002-2004” by the end September 2006.
European Commission funded project “REACH Baltics” facilitated by the Baltic
Environmental Forum (NGO) for information spreading among stakeholders about a new EU
Chemicals Policy REACH (adopted as a Regulation (EC) 1907/2006).
INFOCAP (Information Exchange Network on Capacity Building for the Sound
Management of Chemicals) implemenatation:
No activities performed.
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Forum V Recommendations:
Please provide brief information on specific actions your government has taken to
respond to the recommendations of Forum V in these areas:
1. Applying Precaution in the Context of Chemical Safety


provision of information on tools and approaches
capacity building/skill sharing initiatives to support application of tools and
approaches
Latvian legislation in compliance with the relevant EU legal acts; new EU Chemicals Policy
REACH by means of the Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 will enter into force on 1 June 2007.
2. Heavy Metals (Mercury, Lead, Cadmium)




initiate actions that will address the health, including occupational health and the
environmental impact of mercury, lead and cadmium;
initiate, continue, and intensify actions, as appropriate, to address the excess
supply of mercury on a global scale through a variety of possible measures, such
as an export prohibition preventing excess mercury from re-entering the global
market and a global phase out of primary production of mercury;
activities, including environmentally sound use, storage, recycling and disposal
of mercury, lead and cadmium and partnerships programmes and voluntary
agreements to promote management of problems related to mercury, lead and
cadmium;
support and contribute to the Global Partnerships for Mercury Reductions;
Latvian Government follows development of the Heavy Metals topic on international arena.
No final decision yet on national level.
3. Toys and Chemical Safety






identify chemicals of concern used in toys, and potential substitution options,
develop strategies for sharing information on chemicals commonly used in toys and
adverse effects from their use,
encourage countries and regions to develop and share the results of surveillance of
chemical content of toys with other countries and all stakeholders,
promote research on impacts of chemicals on product safety and children’s health in the
context of toy use, and
support educational efforts to increase awareness of issues of chemical safety and toys
among critical groups such as parents and children, health care professionals, small and
medium scale manufacturers and the informal sector.
guidance for toy safety
Latvian legislation on toys is completely in line with the relevant EU legal acts.
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Details of person completing the questionnaire:
IFCS National Focal Point:
Yes
No
Arnis Ludborzs
Name:
Head of Chemicals Department
Title:
Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Agency
Ministry
Maskavas iela 165,
Address
Riga, LV-1019,
Latvia
+371 67146138
Tel:
+371 67145154
28.02.2007.
Fax:
Date:
Arnis.Ludborzs@lvgma.gov.lv
Email:
[SIGNED]
Signature:
Please provide the following additional information:
Does the IFCS National Focal Point have direct access to the Internet in his/her office?
Yes
X
No
□
If "No", does he/she have access to the Internet in the building where he/she works?
Yes
□
No
□
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