Verification laboratories in accordance with the Tobacco Act

Emissions measurements for tobacco products must be verified and their burning properties confirmed at a Valvira-approved and monitored laboratory. 

A laboratory is considered to be approved without a separate decision if the laboratory provides Valvira with a certificate that an authority of another EU Member State has approved the laboratory. Additionally, the laboratory must report the bases on which the laboratory and its methods were approved. 

In other cases, the laboratory must submit its application for approval to Valvira. The application must include the following information:

• the name, contact details and business ID of the laboratory
• the person responsible for the studies and their contact details
• the time of interruption, termination, or re-initiation of laboratory activities

Additionally, the application must include a certificate from the FINAS accreditation service on the laboratory being competent to carry out emissions measurements and fire safety tests. The laboratory’s methods are also included in the accreditation. The laboratory must notify Valvira of any material changes to the information on the application. 

A test laboratory that verifies emissions measurements does not, according to the current Tobacco Act, need to be an authority; measurements, verification and demonstration may also be carried out by an accredited research laboratory. However, such a laboratory may not be directly or indirectly owned or controlled by the tobacco industry. For this reason, a test laboratory that operates within the manufacturer or importer’s control may not be approved for carrying out measurements or verification on its own products.

EU Member States provide a list of approved laboratories to the European Commission. The Commission makes said list available to the public. A link to the list is available at the bottom of this page.