One of the important issues of the of EU-Ukraine Association Agenda is to bring Ukraine’s technical regulation system in line with the EU acquis.
On July 5, 2011 the Law of Ukraine "On State Market Supervision and control of non-food products" entered into force. The law sets up a system of market surveillance, under which state intervention at the stage of the manufacturing process of products is significantly reduced and the manufacturer bears higher responsibility of ensuring compliance with established production standards and technical regulations. Important in the new system of technical regulation is the functional distribution of standardization, monitoring of compliance and market surveillance between different executive bodies.
As for today, Ukraine has formally ensured the required distribution of functions of technical regulation and market surveillance. The new system is built on the existing institutional architecture. Policy making in public market surveillance sphere is entrusted to market surveillance division at the Department of Internal Trade of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine. The policy implementation is divided between nine central executive bodies.
The issues of technical regulations are transferred from the State inspection on consumer protection to the Department of Technical Regulation at the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine.
Despite the fact that the law has been valid for six months and there was six-month period before its entry into force, its implementation is weak due to current administrative reform, instability and functional impediments on the executive level as well as absence of necessary subordinate legislation.
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