Armenia to License Hazardous Facility Expertise

On October 3, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Armen Mkrtchyan met with representatives of private organizations conducting technical safety expertise of hazardous industrial facilities. Representatives from responsible departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs also participated.

The purpose of the discussion was to examine the existing problems in the field, the proposed legislative changes, possible gaps, and the views of stakeholders.

Under current legislative regulations, the technical safety expertise of hazardous industrial facilities in Armenia is considered an activity subject to accreditation.

The right to conduct expertise is held by the "National Center for Technical Safety" SNCO of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and legal entities or individual entrepreneurs accredited by the "National Center for Accreditation" SNCO of the Ministry of Economy.

The current model has a number of gaps, for which sectoral solutions have been envisaged in terms of policy development, standard setting, and their control.

To solve the problem and improve the system, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has developed a sectoral strategy, which has been submitted for public discussion on the e-draft.am platform. It is proposed to transition to a licensing system, within which the management of the process will be reserved for the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

It is also planned to liquidate the "National Center for Technical Safety" SNCO, operating under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, making the process more transparent and competitive.

The advantages of the licensing model, the possibilities for improving control mechanisms, the limits of private sector involvement, and the risks of conflicts of interest were also discussed.

Representatives of private organizations positively assessed the initiative, expressing their readiness to participate in the reform process and propose solutions.

Such discussions with representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the private sector are ongoing in order to develop joint solutions and a roadmap for actions.