Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Inspection Reform Coordination Council Holds Meeting
Chaired by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, the Inspection Reform Coordination Council held its sixth meeting at the Office of Government.
In line with the established agenda, the meeting discussed two draft government decrees as developed by the Ministry of Economy-affiliated Inspection Reform Secretariat, referred to as “On approval of imported food control methodology and general description of risk determination criteria” and “On approval of risk-based inspection methodology for State Food Safety Service.”
The first decision was adopted in a bid to address possible threats in the activities of economic entities, as well as to ensure effective control at border checkpoints. The second decision will help introduce a risk-based inspection system in the food safety and quality control inspectorate. Taking note of the proposals voiced during the exchange of opinions that followed, the council approved the drafts.
The meeting next approved a draft government decree entitled “On approval of risk-based inspection methodology for State Inspectorate of Environmental Protection.” There was also discussed a draft decree referred to as “On approval of risk-based inspection methodology for State Subsoil Inspectorate.” The head of government commissioned the inspection reform task force to finalize the draft and table an amended version for further discussion.
The council approved two draft laws entitled “On market surveillance” and “On overall non-food product safety control” respectively, which define the legal bases for safe circulation of non-food products in Armenia, as well as provide a legal and organizational framework for market surveillance and risk management.
The meeting heard a report on the testing of State Fire and Technical Safety Inspectorate’s control forms. In particular, it was noted that the questions featuring on the form are not consistent with the modern requirements and should be cut down.
In this connection, the Prime Minister charged the Ministry of Emergency Situations to set up a working group involving representatives from the private sector in order to prepare a shortened version of the form.
