FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The report reveals a lack of licenses, unaccredited laboratories, incomplete inspections, and a total lack of coordination between institutions.
The Supreme State Audit Office published an extensive report on the quality and certification of bottled drinking water. The report evaluates the work of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Institute of Public Health, the National Agency for the Study of Water Resources, regional structures and the Water Resources Management Agency in the period 2020 to 2024. The auditors found that the current system does not guarantee the safety of the product that thousands of citizens consume every day. State institutions do not implement legal obligations for the control, monitoring and analysis of bottled water. Conflicting competencies, lack of coordination and an unclear legal framework have produced a fragmented system without guarantees.
The report highlights that the NFA licenses facilities without verifying whether the operators have a prior permit to use the water source, even though this permit is a legal obligation. Facilities are provided with indefinite licenses, while the institutions do not exchange information on cases when the source permits are suspended or revoked. The report states that the lack of cooperation between the NFA and the Water Resources Agency creates a dangerous gap in product supervision. According to the audit, the current model of granting water resources does not guarantee competition and does not provide clear criteria for investments. The institutions do not continuously monitor the fulfillment of the conditions and do not cross-check data related to the sources and licenses.
The report emphasizes that the laboratories of AKU, IHP and NJVKSH are not accredited, although the legislation obliges them to use methods according to ISO standards. Representatives of IHP have admitted during meetings with auditors that the institute does not have a valid accreditation. All three institutions use partial analyses and do not cover all mandatory parameters. KLSH assesses that the results produced by unaccredited laboratories do not have full legal validity for market monitoring.
The annual analysis plan was not carried out in any year of the audit period. The NFA has carried out from 56 percent to 84 percent of the planned analyses. In 2023, only 128 analyses out of the 206 planned were carried out. Fier Region has not carried out any samples for four years. In Vlora, only 7 out of 17 planned samples were carried out. In Gjirokastër, 98 samples were carried out, but for each one only one parameter was analysed. Meanwhile, Korça marked the only anomaly with an uncontrolled increase in samples, from 11 planned to 94 carried out. The auditors found that important microbiological or chemical analyses are not carried out and a good part of the indicators remain out of control.
The situation is even more problematic at the Border Inspection Points. At the Durrës BIP, no samples have been taken for imported bottled water since January 2023. The AKU structures have stated that they do not carry out the control due to the lack of service fees in the Ministry of Agriculture's instructions. The auditors underline that this interpretation has suspended the control of one of the most sensitive categories of products entering the country.
The KLSH report concludes that institutions have not guaranteed consumer protection. The procedures for licensing water sources and facilities have serious shortcomings. Laboratories do not meet mandatory criteria. Analyses are not carried out according to plan. Cooperation between institutions is lacking. KLSH has issued recommendations with mandatory deadlines and has asked institutions to review procedures, accredit laboratories and establish full control from source to market.
Excerpt from the report
-For the licensing of facilities for the production of bottled drinking water, the AKU does not provide as a procedural part the verification of whether the business operator has a prior permit to use the water source, despite the fact that the provision of a permit is a requirement of the Law on Water Resources and the Regulation “Drinking Water Quality”. The facility permits approved by it are without a specified deadline and are subject to partial re-evaluation, when the technical director, location, etc. change. In the event of termination or suspension/revocation of the permit to use the source, the facility cannot function for processing and packaging, since water is its raw material. There is no evidence of any type of cooperation between the AKU and AMBU regarding facilities or source permits in terms of information exchange or otherwise. The failure to include the water source permit in the mandatory documentation prior to licensing the facility by the NFA and the lack of cooperation with AMBU, does not guarantee an appropriate food control procedure for this product.
-The procedures for the production and certification of bottled water present shortcomings, related to the processes and procedures followed regarding the approval of permits for the use of water resources, licenses for production facilities, as well as the monitoring of the fulfillment of their conditions. The current model for granting the use of water resources does not guarantee competitiveness and criteria that guarantee the progress of investments. On the other hand, the non-inclusion of the water resource permit as a condition for licensing facilities and the lack of ongoing monitoring of their disposal creates a risk in guaranteeing the safety of this product. The lack of interaction with other institutions for the cross-checking of mutual information also remains a problem.
-Laboratorët AKU, NJVKSH dhe ISHP nuk janë të certifikuar/akredituar. Sipas rregullores për ujin e pijshëm, laboratorët që kryejnë analizat duhet të përdorin metoda sipas standardit ndërkombëtar ISO, dhe rrjedhimisht duhet të zotërojnë laboratorë të akredituar.
Nga pyetësorët/intervistat e kryera gjatë auditimit, rezulton se asnjë nga institucionet publike përkatëse që kryejnë analizimin e cilësisë së ujit të pijshëm përfshirë AKU, institucion nën varësi të Ministrisë së Bujqësisë dhe Zhvillimit Rural, NJVKSH dhe ISHP, nën varësinë e Ministrisë së Shëndetësisë dhe Mbrojtjes Sociale, nuk zotërojnë aktualisht laboratorë të akredituar për të gjithë parametrat e përcaktuar në legjislacionin në fuqi. Gjatë një takimi të zhvilluar me përfaqësues të Institutit të Shëndetit Publik, grupit të auditimit i është bërë e ditur se ISHP nuk është i akredituar, megjithëse përdor metoda analitike të bazuara në standardet ISO dhe ka kryer validimin e metodave që përdor. Pavarësisht këtij validimi, mungesa e akreditimit zyrtar e bën procesin e analizës të papërputhshëm me kërkesat e VKM-së dhe cenon vlefshmërinë ligjore të rezultateve analitike për qëllime monitorimi. AKU nuk ka përmbushur planin vjetor të analizave për ujin e pijshëm të ambalazhuar.
-AKU si institucioni përgjegjës për sigurinë ushqimore në zbatim të ligjit për ushqimin analizon mostra sipas planit vjetor me bazë risku. Mostrat e ujit të pijshëm të ambalazhuar analizohen për verifikuar përputhshmërinë me kërkesat ligjore dhe nënligjore për ushqimin dhe urdhrat për ujin mineral. Marrja e mostrave nga AKU ka për qëllim të garantojë që, uji i ambalazhuar që del në treg, të plotësoj kërkesat për sigurinë dhe cilësinë ushqimore, duke përfshirë analizat mikrobiologjike dhe kimike që përcaktohen në rregulloret përkatëse. Në këto plane janë përcaktuar llojet e analizave që do të kryhen dhe laboratorët. Grupi i auditimit ka konstatuar se realizimi i analizave vjetore për ujin e pijshëm të ambalazhuar ka qenë me i ulët se ai i planifikuari. Sipas të dhënave të marra nga Drejtoria e Përgjithshme e AKU-së realizimi i analizave nga AKU në Pikën e Inspektimit Kufitar (PIK) dhe në Terren në rang vendi, përgjatë viteve 2020 – 2024, konkretisht paraqitet si më poshtë:
-Në vitin 2020, janë realizuar 205 analiza nga 244 të planifikuara (84 %).
-Në vitin 2021, janë realizuar 213 analiza nga 382 të planifikuara (56 %).
-Në vitin 2022, janë realizuar 217 analiza nga 264 të planifikuara (82 %).
-Në vitin 2023, janë realizuar 128 analiza nga 206 të planifikuara (62 %).
-Në vitin 2024, janë realizuar 131 analiza nga 172 të planifikuara (76 %).
Unlike other regions, in Fier no samples were taken during the entire audit period, which constitutes a significant gap in laboratory supervision in this area. Also, in Vlora, the implementation has been low. Out of 17 planned samples, only 7 were taken, all in the field. Parameters such as dry matter at 105°C, hardness, calcium, magnesium and bicarbonates were analyzed for natural mineral water.
In Gjirokastra, 98 samples out of 142 planned were taken. Of these, 67 were taken in the field and the rest at the PIK. Although the number of samples is high, only one analysis per sample (dry matter) was reported, indicating a limited concentration in the basic indicator for each product.
Meanwhile, in Korça, a significant exceedance of the initial plan was observed, as 94 samples were conducted even though only 11 were planned.
-Analyses for bottled drinking water are not fully carried out according to legal requirements. Laboratories are not accredited, capacities are limited and not all mandatory pollutants are included. The analysis plan is not fulfilled, while the legislation does not reflect the latest EU standards. As a result, the supervision of the bottled water product appears uncovered.
-Since 2023, no sampling has been carried out for imported bottled drinking water at the Durrës BIP. In the assessment of sampling by the AKU structures at the Border Inspection Points (BIP), the fact was evidenced that at the Durrës BIP, no sampling has been carried out for imported bottled drinking water from 01.01.2023 onwards. This is with the claim that, in the Instruction of the Minister of Agriculture and Development No. 19, dated 22.11.2022 “On secondary income fees applicable by subordinate institutions of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development”, there is no service fee for analysis by the AKU laboratories. This instruction is only for ISUV, where on page 536, articles no. 110-116, 7 types of analyses are presented and in the "Matrix" column it is marked "Drinking water", without specifying whether the drinking water is running or packaged? / Pamphlet
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