The Western Balkan hopefuls, including Albania will not be able to meet the standards of the European Union’s chemical legislation unless they are given additional resources, according to a study from Echa.
In order to ascend to the EU, member states must be fully aligned with all EU legislation, before they can complete the process.
Echa’s study, commissioned by the European Commission lays out national action plans and identifies current shortcomings in their ability to meet chemicals rules.
In terms of Albania, the report found that for the last decade, the country has been working to develop its chemicals management system and has “achieved some level of alignment with the EU regulatory framework.” However, there is still work to be done.
The assessment identified a lack of necessary staff resources to implement regulations. It also noted a need to strengthen administrative capacity and to expand the budget for chemical risk management.
In particular, it said there was a lack of experience and expertise in risk assessment and the evaluation of applications for the authorisation of biocidal products. There was also no national helpdesk, no systematic reporting, no communication strategy, no information on public consultation mechanisms, no information available on enforcement activities, and no expertise for the enforcement of chemical legislation.
The impact of these gaps are wide-ranging and include a lack of protection for human health and the environment and no level playing field between Albanian and foreign companies. In addition, there is no stakeholder engagement or public awareness of chemicals and their safety.
The report makes a number of suggestions including reforming the budgetary system, strengthening capacities across multiple institutions, providing regular training, and working with other countries in the region to plug mutual gaps.
