The Parliamentary Committee on Healthcare has unanimously approved, with 14 votes in favor, the Draft Law for the Amendment and Supplement of the Law on Protection against the Harmful Effects of Chemical Substances and Mixtures (LPHCS), introduced by the Council of Ministers. The amendments, which integrate Regulation (EU) 2019/1148 into Bulgarian legislation, aim to combat terrorism and limit the illegal production of explosives by introducing stricter controls over economic operators and online trade.
Under the new provisions, economic operators are no longer required to label explosive precursors, to avoid drawing the attention of terrorists to specific products. However, stricter verification requirements are being introduced, focusing on transactions, identity documents, VAT numbers, and other identifiers, as well as procedures for detecting suspicious transactions when supplying regulated precursors to professional users or other economic operators.
Minister of Health Katya Ivkova, who presented the draft law, explained that the amendments to the LPHCS establish a ban on the supply, introduction, possession, or use of explosive precursors restricted to the general public. These measures serve to implement Regulation (EU) No 98/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 January 2013 on the marketing and use of explosives precursors. According to the explanatory memorandum, the Minister of Health is granted oversight powers in connection with Regulation (EU) No 98/2013, specifically regarding monitoring whether economic operators fulfill the obligation to label precursors with the text: "The acquisition, possession, or use of explosive precursors restricted to the general public is prohibited".
Within the new framework, the Ministry of Interior is designated as the national contact point as defined by the regulation. This means that any suspicious transactions, as well as cases of theft or missing substances, must be reported to it.
The proposed changes have received support from three ministries: the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and the Ministry of Environment and Water. Other institutions have also expressed their support for the initiative:
- The Commission for Consumer Protection expressed principle support, with Simona Angelova noting the need for more precise definition of competencies.
- The National Center for Public Health and Analyses also supported the changes, requesting clarification on certain texts.
- Margarita Marinova, a representative of the State Agency for Metrological and Technical Surveillance, confirmed that the agency has no objections to the draft.