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Doing business in Lithuania: Environmental rules

27 April 2012
by Ina Dimireva -- last modified 27 April 2012

Legislation in Lithuania has set out environmental rules that businesses have to follow in order to be able to operate.


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Legal requirements

 

Main legal acts relating to state control of environmental protection:

Law on Environmental Protection

Law on State Control of Environmental Protection

Law on Environmental Monitoring

Environmental control

 

The extent of collection, and the procedure of collection and provision of information about the environmental situation are regulated by:

Law on Environmental Monitoring

Environmental Monitoring Programme for 2005-2010

Rules of Environmental Monitoring

The website of the Environmental Protection Agency provides:

Information about pollution prevention

Land development

The main legal acts regulating land development are:

Law on Territorial Planning

Special Conditions for the Use of Land and Forests

Law on Environmental Impact Assessment of the Proposed Economic Activity

Waste management

The main legal acts regulating waste management are:

Law on Waste Management

Regulations for Waste Management

State Strategic Plan for Waste Management

Noise protection

The main legal act regulating noise management is the Law on Noise Management. It assigns the competency for noise management to various institutions, e.g. the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Health, etc.

Law on Noise Management

Noise protection is also provided for in technical regulations for construction, regulations for aircraft noise limitation, rules on limit values for noise from road vehicle motors, etc.

Nuclear safety

The main legal acts regulating nuclear safety are:

Law on Nuclear Energy

Law on the Management of Radioactive Waste

The website of the Environmental Protection Agency provides:

System of legal acts regulating nuclear energy safety

Businesses are free to go beyond the minimum environmental legal requirements at their own initiative.

Administrative procedures

Declaratory procedures

 

Land development

More information about land development procedures is provided on:

Website of State Territorial Planning and Construction Inspectorate

Websites of municipalities

Waste management

More information about waste management is provided on:

Website of the Ministry of Environment

Chemicals

It is mandatory to register all chemicals if a manufacturer produces or an importer imports more than 1 ton of a chemical per year in accordance with the procedure provided for in Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 concerning the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals.

Information about chemicals:

Website of the Ministry of Environment

Website of the Environmental Protection Agency

Water

Information about water is provided on:

Website of the Ministry of Environment

Website of the Environmental Protection Agency

Climate and air

Those carrying out activities must prepare greenhouse gas emission record reports by 31 March of every year, and, after inspection by an independent assessor, submit them to the regional environmental protection department that issued the TIPK or GIN permit along with a certificate of confirmation of suitability.

Information about the regulation of the atmosphere and air is provided on:

Website of the Ministry of Environment

Website of the Environmental Protection Agency

Nuclear safety

The State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate (VATESI) performs state regulation and control of nuclear safety.

VATESI

Permits and licences

 

In order to operate objects of economic activity or to perform economic activities, it is necessary to receive an Integrated Prevention and Control of Pollution permit.

Regulations for Integrated Prevention and Control of Pollution Permits

Information about Integrated Prevention and Control of Pollution permits

Chemicals

A person planning to carry out activities with poisonous materials must receive a permit to acquire, sell or otherwise transfer poisonous materials.

Regulations for the Issuance of Permits to Acquire, Sell or Transfer Poisonous Materials

Climate and air

When carrying out certain activities whereby carbon dioxide (CO2) is emitted, a permit to emit greenhouse gas must be received.

Procedure for the Issuance of Tradable Greenhouse Gas Pollution Permits

A permit to emit greenhouse gas is an adjusted natural resource use permit or an Integrated Prevention and Control of Pollution permit issued by the regional environmental protection departments of the Ministry of Environment.

Noise protection

A list of types of economic and commercial activities for which a permit-hygiene passport is necessary as well as the regulations for the issuance of permits-hygiene passports are provided here:

Regulations for the Issuance of Permits-Hygiene Passports 

Information about permits-hygiene passports

Nuclear safety

Licences related to nuclear activities are issued by VATESI, however the requester must receive approvals for the issuance of a licence from other institutions participating in the process.

VATESI issues a licence within 30 days of receiving the documents.

Rules on the Licensing of Nuclear Energy Activities

Permits and licences being issued by VATESI

Inspections

 

Chemicals

Control of EU regulations in the area of chemicals and control of implementation of the requirements of the Lithuanian Law on Chemical Substances and Preparations as well as of other legal acts is performed by:

State Environmental Protection Inspectorate

State Labour Inspectorate

State Non-Food Products Inspectorate

Customs Department

Climate and air

Regional environmental protection departments of the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania perform control of the observance of the conditions provided in Integrated Prevention and Control of Pollution permits.

Noise protection

State control of noise is performed by the:

Ministry of Environment

Ministry of Communications, and

Ministry of Health.

The Ministry of the Interior performs noise control in residential buildings, on private property, and in public areas.

Nuclear protection

The State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate (VATESI) performs inspections and checks.

VATESI inspects organisations operating nuclear energy objects, other licensees, and requesters seeking to receive a licence.

VATESI may also inspect organisations that provide services to them.

VATESI

Resources

 

Lists of standards and legal acts relating to environmental protection:

Published environmental standards

International agreements of the Ministry of Environment in the area of environmental protection

List of multilateral conventions (protocols) in the area of environmental protection signed and ratified by Lithuania

List of environmental protection laws

Programmes

 

The Lithuanian Environmental Investment Fund (LEIF) aims to support the public and private sectors in implementing environmental projects and projects to reduce the negative impact of economic activities on the environment.

Lithuanian Environmental Investment Fund

Investment projects are financed through LEIF by providing soft loans and subsidies:

  • Loans are only provided to finance environmental protection projects worth up to 1.5 million litas.
  • The subsidy to one beneficiary may not exceed 600,000 litas over three years, and is limited to 70% of the total amount of the environmental protection investment project.

Source: Your Europe

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