The National Assembly will begin its session with the first reading of amendments to the Law on Protection against the Harmful Effects of Chemical Substances and Mixtures. The bill was introduced by the Council of Ministers, and its consideration is included in the adopted program of the parliament.
The bill is related to the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2019/1148 on the marketing and use of explosives precursors. It repeals the older Regulation (EU) No 98/2013 and introduces common rules to restrict access to chemicals that can be used in the illicit manufacture of explosives.
New obligations for traders
It provides for a ban on the supply, introduction, possession or use of restricted explosives precursors by the general public. Economic operators will have to report suspicious transactions, attempted transactions, as well as significant shortages and thefts of the substances listed in Annexes I and II to the regulation.
The Council of Ministers points out that the obligation for operators to label explosives precursors is no longer applicable. The text published by BTA also includes the warning: “The purchase, possession or use of precursors of explosives under restriction by the general public is prohibited“.
The Ministry of Interior will be the national contact point
The Minister of Interior has been designated as the national contact point within the meaning of the European regulation. Signals of suspicious transactions, disappearances and thefts will be submitted to this unit.
The control will cover economic operators, online trading venues and professional users. The bill also provides for administrative penalties for legal entities that violate the ban on providing precursors to the general public or fail to fulfill reporting obligations.
Ministers Ivan Shishkov, Georgi Peev, Rositsa Karamfilova, Ivan Demerdzhiev and Georgi Valchev are scheduled to participate in the regular Friday parliamentary control.
Sources: BTA