National Inspectorates - France

The French Environmental Code allocates responsibility for REACH, CLP, BPR, POP and PIC regulations' enforcement to a number of enforcing authorities, especially environmental inspectorate, labour inspectorate, consumer protection and fraud prevention authority or customs. It provides them with the powers they need and sets down the offences and penalties (both administrative and criminal) for contraventions of these regulations’ requirements.

Each REACH, CLP, BPR, POP and PIC regulation enforcement authority works in its own field of competence (e.g. labour inspection on the REACH requirements related to workers) and according to its own priorities. Collaborations and cooperations between theses authorities are frequent and encouraged. Indeed, regular meetings, joint training and joint inspections are organized throughout the year to reinforce interactions and exchange of information between enforcement authorities.

The French Competent Authorities are:

• Ministry of Ecological Transition for REACH, BPR, POP and PIC regulations.
• Ministry of Labour for CLP regulation.

Authorities responsible for REACH, CLP, BPR, POP and PIC enforcement

• Ministry for the Ecology and Inclusive Transition (General Directorate for Risk Prevention and local services) involved in the environmental part of industrial sites.
• Ministry of Labour (General Directorate for Labour and local services) involved in labour and OSH regulations (working conditions, labour management relations, …).
• Ministry of Economy and Finance: 
  • Directorate General for Consumer Affairs, Competition and Fraud Prevention and local services involved in safety, economic protection of consumers and regulation of market competition.
  • Directorate-General of Customs and Indirect Taxes, involved in border control.