RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/ACC/SPEC/LTU/9
30September 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-4086)
Original: English Working Party onthe
Accession ofLithuania
ACCESSION OFLITHUANIA
Request forTransition Period toImplement Specific Provisions
oftheAgreement ontheApplication ofSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
TheLithuanianGovernmentherewithsubmitsinformationonthemostrecentstatusofLithuania’s
legislation andregulations anditsinstitutional infrastructure inthefieldofsanitary andphytosanitary
measures.
With itssmall economy stillatthestage ofrecovery from acommand economy, Lithuania
faces anumber ofdifficulties tofully bring itsSPSmeasures inlinewithWTO requirements.
Considerable human andadministrative resources areneeded:
- todraftthelegislation andregulations andgothrough theconstitutional andother approval
processes;
- tosetupthevarious regulatory bodies, startrunning thesystem andprovide forenforcement;
- tobuild laboratories, acquire theequipment andinstruments, introduce theprocessing
techniques;
- toparticipate inthework ofinternational organisations, negotiate agreements withother
countries, ensure transparency through publication, notification, translation intoEnglish, etc.
Thesignificant budgetary resources required tomeet thecosts offixed capital investment
(building, equipment), recruitment, training andremuneration oftechnically qualified personnel and
torunthesystem (inspection, policing, enquiry point, etc.)cannot allbemustered immediately. The
outlays needtobespread overanumber ofyears.
Thedescription intheattached paper ofthestage ofadvancement andoftheongoing process
isproof oftheenormous progress made byLithuania inthelastfewyears inthefieldofSPSmeasures.
Itshows thecapacity anddetermination ofthepublic authorities tomove ahead. What hasalready been
achieved mostprobably compares favourably withmeasures some long-standing WTO Members apply
today inthisfield.
Ashort transition period toachieve fullcompliance isrequired (particularly toestablish the
WTO enquiry point andmake itfullyoperational). Thiscould bedoneby1January 2000.
This request issubmitted inaconstructive spirit. Lithuania wishes toavoid accepting
commitments thatitknows tobebeyond whatitactually expects tobeabletoapply andrespect in
good faith, given itspresent human andmaterial resources.WT/ACC/SPEC/LTU/9
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ATTACHMENT
Lithuania ’sProgress inImplementing theAgreement onthe
Application ofSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
Itisrecalled thatinLithuania foodsafety isunder thejurisdiction oftheNational Nutrition
Centre totheMinistry ofHealth, theStateVeterinary Service andtheStatePlantQuarantine Inspectorate
totheMinistryofAgricultureandForestry.Responsibilityforinspectionofunprocessedanimalproducts
(e.g.meatandmilk) isbeing shared bytheNational Nutrition Centre andState Veterinary Service.
Animal health isunder thejurisdiction oftheState Veterinary Service. Plant health isunder the
jurisdiction oftheState Plant Quarantine Inspectorate.
Regarding transparency, Lithuania already publishes promptly allsanitary andphytosanitary
regulations which havebeenadopted. Lithuania isestablishing aprocess toallow areasonable period
oftimebetween thepublication ofasanitary orphytosanitary regulation anditsentry intoforce to
allow producers inexporting Members toadapt tothenewrequirements andexpects thisprocess to
becompleted inthenearest future. Lithuania isintheprocess ofcreating anenquiry pointattheMinistry
ofAgriculture andForestry (butduetofinancial problems itisdifficult tospecify anexact datefor
itscompletion). Theenquiry point alsowillcarry outthenotification obligations oftheAgreement.
Lithuaniaalreadyparticipatesintheworkofinternationalorganizations(theCodexAlimentarius,
theInternational Office ofEpizooties andsoon, theEuropean andMediterranean Plant Protection
Organization). Tothegreatest extent possible andappropriate, Lithuania isbasing itsSPSmeasures
ontheinternational standards andguidelines created bythose organizations.
Hereafter arelisted thetasks already completed, those currently being performed andthose
thatremain tobeaccomplished inthefollowing fields:
- SPSmeasures applicable tofoodproducts;
- SPSmeasures intheveterinary field;
- SPSmeasures applicable toplants andplant products.
Ascanbeascertained onthebasis ofthissurvey practically allthatisneeded toapply the
Agreement onSPSmeasures willshortly beinplace.
1. SPSMeasures intheField ofFood Products
(a) Thetasks already completed
Lithuania hasbeenamember oftheCodex Alimentarius Commission since 1992. There are
6largelaboratories inthePublic Health Service under theMinistry ofHealth. They testforpesticides,
heavy metals andother chemical contaminants infoodandarelocated inthebiggest cities. TheCentral
Laboratory isintheNational Nutrition Centre inVilnius. There are35small chemical and
microbiological laboratories situated across thevarious districts ofLithuania. They testfornitrates
andmicrobiological levels infood. TheNational Nutrition Centre andtheStateHygiene Inspectorate
areresponsible fortheriskassessment offood.
Framework legislation inplace:
- Lithuanian Standard LSTCAC/RCP 1Recommended International Code ofPractice. General
PrinciplesofFoodHygiene,1995.ThisinternationalCACdocumentwasapprovedbyLithuania
andwillbeimplemented bytheendof1997;WT/ACC/SPEC/LTU/9
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- Lithuanian Hygiene Norm HN38-1993. TheMaximum Amounts ofUnhealthy Substances
Permitted inTobacco Products (approval ofMinistry ofHealth No.24of7February 1994).
Thedocument describes allsafety andquality requirements fortobacco products produced in
Lithuania aswellasabroad. These requirements conform tointernational requirements; they
must bereadinconjunction withtheLithuanian LawonTobacco Control, approved on
20December 1995, which prohibits theproduction andimport ofsnuff andchewing tobacco.
(b) Tasks being performed atpresent
Improvements totheframework legislation:
Theadoption oftheLawonFood isplanned forduring thecourse of1998. Atpresent the
finaldraftoftheLawisbeing co-ordinated withinternational experts. TheLawaddresses theregulation
offoodsafety forhuman health. Itwillestablish thefoundations forthemanagement offoodsafety
andquality system, protect consumers fromunhealthy production andfalseormisleading advertising
offood. TheLawwillalsodefine thefields ofcompetence andresponsibility ofthevarious institutions
conducting supervision offoodsafety.
“Procedure ofFood Products Import intoRepublic ofLithuania andtheirQuality Control ”
(GovernmentResolutionNo.35of9January1995).Thisdocumentdescribestheobligatoryrequirements
forfoodproducts intended forimport intoLithuania. Itprovides thestructure andfunctions ofauthorities
involved infoodquality control intheprocess ofimportation andwasprepared inaccordance with
FAO Food andNutrition Paper 14/15 Manual ofFood Quality Control, volume 15Imported Food
Inspection, Rome 1993. Amendments arebeing drafted nowtoimprove implementation ofCodex
Alimentarius andWTO provisions (expected approval andimplementation during thecourse of
1998-1999).
“TheLithuanianHygieneNormHN54-1995.RawMaterialsandFoodstuffs.MaximumPermitted
Levels ofContaminants andRadionuclides ”(approval ofMinistry ofHealth No.10 of6March 1995).
Itisabasic document which listsallallowed maximum levels forchemical agents andradioactive
materials infoodstuffs produced inLithuania aswellasabroad. Theestablished levels ofpesticides
andother chemical contaminants areharmonised torecommendations ofCAC Pesticide Residues in
FoodCodexAlimentariusSupplement1tovolume2,FAO/WHO,Rome1993andotherCACguidelines
designed forconcrete foodstuffs. Amendments arebeing drafted nowfortheimplementation ofnew
Codex Alimentarius provisions (expected approval andimplementation during thecourse of1998-1999).
”TheLithuanianHygieneNormHN53-1995.ApprovedFoodAdditives”.(approvalofMinistry
ofHealth No.8of22February 1995). Thisdocument includes apositive listofapproved foodadditives
andpermitted levels ofadditives inconcrete foodstuffs. Amendments ofthisdocument arebeing drafted
nowtoapproximate thecorrespond tothepositive listoftheEuropean Communities (expected approval
andimplementation during thecourse of1998-1999).
“Lithuanian Hygiene Norm HN26-1994. RawMaterials andFoodstuffs. Allowable Levels
ofMicrobial Contamination ”(approval ofMinistry ofHealth No.59 of11February 1994). This
document contains allowed maximum levels formicrobes infoodstuffs produced inLithuania and
specifies imports. Thisdocument isnotyetharmonised toCodex Alimentarius recommendations. A
newedition isbeing drafted (expected approval andimplementation during thecourse of1998-1999).WT/ACC/SPEC/LTU/9
Page4
(c) Theremaining tasks
- preparation ofregulations andcreation ofbetter mechanisms forriskassessment;
- Lithuania needs toapply theHACCP system toallfood processing, trade andcatering
companies. Thisisexpected tobeachieved bytheyear2000.
2. SPSMeasures intheVeterinary Field
(a) Thetasks already completed
Lithuania hasbeenamember oftheOIE(International Office ofEpizooties) since 1936, this
membership wasrenewed in1992. Lithuania alsohasbeenamember ofFoot-and-Mouth Disease
Commission attheFood andAgriculture Organization (FAO) since1993. TheStateVeterinary Service
follows therecommendations andstandards ofOIE: “Manual ofStandards fordiagnostic testsand
vaccines ”,1992, andthe“International Animal Health Code (mammals, birds andbees)”,1992. Also
State Veterinary Service isresponsible fortheriskassessment.
TheNational Veterinary Laboratory carries outmonitoring programmes andperforms tests
fordiseaseswithreferencetotheOIErecommendationsandstandards.Everymonth,theStateVeterinary
Service sends reports totheOIEabout theepizootic situation inLithuania andevery week getsfrom
OIEthelatest information about theepizootic situation intheworld.
Veterinary supervision andcontrol isperformed by10county veterinary services, 34district
stateveterinary clinics and4stations ofcityveterinary sanitation. Every county stateveterinary service
hasaveterinary laboratory. TheNational Veterinary Laboratory performs themandatory testsand
serves asamethods guidance centre forthestatelaboratories ofthecountry. Border veterinary controls
areconducted bytheBorder andTransport StateVeterinary Service which reports totheStateVeterinary
Service. 16border veterinary posts and3veterinary posts areinoperation. They perform veterinary
medical control oflivestock, fodder, rawmaterials andfoodofanimal origin.
Framework legislation inplace:
- theStateVeterinary Service isguided bytheLawonVeterinary Activities (17December 1991).
Thislawdefines thebasic tasks, structure andmanagement ofveterinary activities .
- surveillance oftheimport andtransit ofanimals, feedstuffs andproducts ofanimal origin
into/through Lithuania isconducted inaccordance withGovernment Resolution No.284
(27April 1993) “OnVeterinary andSanitary Requirements onLivestock, theirProducts, Raw
Materials andFodder Imported totheRepublic ofLithuania andTransported asTransit through
itsTerritory ”.
(b) Tasks being performed presently
Improvement totheframework legislation:
Seeabove description under “SPSmeasures inthefieldoffoodproducts ”oftheLawonFood.
(c) Theremaining tasks
- preparation ofregulations andcreation ofbetter mechanisms forriskassessment.WT/ACC/SPEC/LTU/9
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3. SPSMeasures intheField ofPlants andPlant Products
(a) Thetasks already completed
ThePhytosanitary Research Centre testsforquarantine diseases, pestsandweeds andprovides
thepossibility forresearch inthese areas. Thesimple visual analysis ofweeds, nematodes andpests
areimplemented atthe10regional plantquarantine stations located across Lithuania. During thecourse
of1998theStatePlant Quarantine Inspectorate willbereorganized asanewinstitution, theStatePlant
Protection Agency, which willcontinue thework oftheInspectorate butalsoberesponsible forrisk
assessment.
Framework legislation inplace:
- LawonPlant Protection (19October 1995);
- LawontheProtection ofPlant Varieties andSeedCultivation (17September 1996);
- Government Resolution No.599“Plant Quarantine Regulations fortheImport andExport of
Plant andPlant Products toandfrom Lithuania andtheirTransit through theTerritory of
Lithuania ”(3August 1993);
- Government Resolution No.384“PlantQuarantine Regulations forConveyance, Storage, Sale
andUsage ofPlant andPlant Products inLithuania (25March 1996).
(b) Tasks being completed atpresent
Documents arebeing prepared withaviewtojoining theEPPO (European andMediterranean
Plant Protection Organization). Lithuania isimproving thestaffandequipment ofthePhytosanitary
Analysis Centre. Lithuania alsoisestablishing plantquarantine postswhich havebegun theiroperations
inthecountry andatborder posts.
(c) Theremaining tasks
- preparation ofregulations andcreating ofmechanisms ofriskassessment.
Improvement offramework legislation:
Lithuania must further conform itsimport requirements forplant andplant products with
international standards. Thisshould takeplace during thecourse of1998-1999. Atthesame time,
Lithuania willbeworking toimprove itsinfrastructure andlaboratories forplant quarantine issues.
TheState Plant Quarantine Inspectorate willestablish pestfreeareas inaccordance with
FAO-IPPC (International Plant Protection Convention) standards. Thisisexpected totakeplace at
thelatest bytheendof1999.
Lithuania expects tobecome amember oftheEuropean andMediterranean Plant Protection
Organization (EPPO) intheearly partof1998. Lithuania plans toratify theIPPC (International Plant
Protection Convention) atthelatest bytheendof1999.