Governmental Decree No260 of 1996 regarding the introduction of mandatory certification of alcoholic and tobacco commodities

On Introduction Of Mandatory Certification Of All Types Of Alcoholic And Tobacco Goods In The Republic Of Belarus Decision of the Government of the Republic of Belarus № 260 of April 16, 1996 (Decision contains all the later amendments and additions. Last amendments of this Decision: Decision of the Government of the Republic of Belarus № 1318 of August 20, 1998) In fulfillment of the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus N. 45 of February 2, 1996, "On the Public Regulation of the Production, Sale, Storage of Alcoholic and Tobacco Goods" the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus shall resolve: 1. To introduce a mandatory certification of all types of alcoholic and tobacco goods in the Republic of Belarus. 2. To prohibit, effective from the 1st of August 1996, wholesale and retail trade of all types of alcoholic and tobacco goods without the conformity certificates issued by the respective certification bodies in the established order. 3. To establish that: 3.1. certification of alcoholic goods specified in the Subsection "Alcoholic and Soft Drinks" of the Section "Finished Food Products, Alcoholic and Soft Drinks" of the Appendix to the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus ¹ 635 of September 22, 1993, shall be effected till the 1st of August 1996 in the order and under conditions provided for by this Resolution. 3.2. Alcoholic and tobacco goods: (manufactured in the Republic) should conform to the effective standards and technical specifications for the products, medical and biological requirements and sanitary and hygienic standards and rules; (imported to the Republic) should conform to the safety indicators, effective in the Republic, specified in the standards, medical and biological requirements and sanitary and hygienic standards and rules, and additionally, with respect to the consumer properties, to the data specified in the marking and accompanying documents of the foreign manufacturer; 3.3. control over the quality of alcoholic and tobacco products produced by economic entities, irrespective of the form of ownership and subordination, as well as by enterpreneurs effecting their activity without forming a legal entity, shall be effected by the above mentioned economic entities and enterpreneurs in the established order, as well as by the Ministry of Health Care, Committee for Standardization, Metrology and Certification of the Ministry of Education and Science. The Committee for Standardization, Metrology and Certification of the Ministry of Education and Science shall be made responsible for effecting control over the quality of alcoholic and tobacco goods (including the imported ones). 4. The ministries, economic entities, irrespective of the form of ownership and subordination, as well as enterpreneurs effecting their activity without forming a legal entity shall be liable to implement a mandatory certification of all types of alcoholic and tobacco goods before the 1st of August 1996 and not to allow wholesaling or retailing these goods without certificates of conformity. 5. The Ministry of Education and Science shall be liable to arrange the state supervision of the certified alcoholic and tobacco goods in the established order. 6. To establish that economic entities, irrespective of the form of ownership and subordination, as well as enterpreneurs effecting their activity without forming a legal entity: shall have to stop the sale of alcoholic and tobacco goods certified by safety indicators, if they do not conform to the requirements as regards safety indicators stipulated by the respective normative documents, as well as upon expiry of the certificate term of validity or in case of suspension or canceling the term of validity thereof by the decision of the certification body; shall bear responsibility in accordance with the legislation in force for infringement of the requirements of the present clause as well as of clauses 2 and 3.2 of the present Decision. 7. The Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Agriculture and Foods, State Customs Committee, upon agreement with the Ministry of Justice and other organizations concerned shall have to submit proposals on bringing the legislation in compliance with the present Decision to the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus. 8. This present Decision shall enter into effect from the day of publishing thereof. * unofficial translation *