Control authorities under the Ministry of Industry and Trade

Czech Metrology Institute

Pursuant to Section 14(1)(e) of Act No. 505/1990 Coll., on Metrology, as amended (hereinafter referred to as "the Act"), the Czech Metrology Institute (ČMI) performs state metrological supervision, the subject of which is the control of compliance with the obligations set out in this Act by the following entities:

users of measuring instruments,
entities registered under Section 19 of the Act for the repair and/or installation of specified measuring instruments,
entities authorised under Section 16 of the Act to verify and test specified measuring instruments (authorised metrology centres),
bodies authorised under Section 21 of the Act to carry out official measurements

The Czech Metrology Institute does not conduct offence proceedings. Offences under Section 23 of the Act are dealt with by the Office for Technical Standardisation, Metrology and State Testing, to which the Czech Metrology Institute refers its findings from its inspection activities.

Czech Trade Inspection Authority

The Czech Trade Inspection Authority (ČOI) is a state administration body subordinated to the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic. The Czech Trade Inspection Authority inspects natural and legal persons who offer, sell, supply or market products, offer or provide services or carry out other activities pursuant to the Act on the Czech Trade Inspection Authority or pursuant to a special legal regulation, if this Act or a special legal regulation so provides.

In particular, the Czech Trade Inspection Authority supervises compliance with legislation on the protection of consumer rights and legislation governing the supply of products to the European Union market in terms of their safety and compliance with the requirements of harmonisation legislation. The Czech Trade Inspection Authority also supervises the fiscal interests of the state, environmental requirements for products and the protection of society against socially pathological phenomena.

The Czech Trade Inspection Authority imposes sanctions for violations of legislation, which usually take the form of a fine, while the rates for the most serious offences allow for a fine of up to CZK 50 million. On the other hand, for less serious breaches of legal regulations, the inspectors of the Czech Trade Inspection Authority may impose a fine of up to CZK 10,000 on the spot on the person inspected who agrees to such a solution. The Czech Trade Inspection Authority imposes measures to restrict the movement of goods on the EU internal market and other measures to correct deficiencies it has identified in the course of market surveillance.

Czech Proof House for Arms and Ammunition

The Czech Proof House for Arms and Ammunition (ČÚZZS) is a state professional institution which carries out testing, inspection and verification of weapons, ammunition and pyrotechnic products on the territory of the Czech Republic. The Office is established by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic and performs tasks resulting from national and European legislation.

The main activities of the Czech Office for the Testing of Weapons and Ammunition include:

carrying out tests of weapons and ammunition in terms of safety and technical competence,
issuing verification marks and certificates of conformity,
checking the conformity of products with applicable standards and regulations,
cooperation with state administration authorities, security forces and international institutions.

The aim of the Authority's activities is to ensure that only safe and legally compliant products are placed on the market, thereby protecting the health and safety of users and the public.

Assay Office

The Assay Office (PÚ) is an administrative authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, which provides professional supervision of the market in precious metal products. Its main activity is hallmarking control, i.e. the verification of the purity of gold, silver and platinum in jewellery and other objects made of these metals, and their marking with the appropriate hallmarks or in another way according to the law.

The Assay Office also oversees compliance with legal regulations in the field of precious metals, keeps records of entrepreneurs in this field and provides expert advice, and is a supervisory authority over the general safety of products made of precious metals. Its aim is to protect consumers from poor quality or mislabelled products and to ensure transparency in the precious metals market.

State Energy Inspection

The State Energy Inspection (SEI) is a state administration body subordinated to the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, which carries out supervision and control in the energy sector. Its main task is to supervise compliance with legal regulations in the field of energy management, energy efficiency and in the field of payment of support for the production of electricity from renewable or supported energy sources. The State Energy Inspection's key activities include:

Monitoring compliance with obligations under the Energy Management Act and related decrees, including issuing statements on the energy performance of buildings in proceedings conducted by the relevant building authorities,
checking the eligibility of the use of support for electricity produced from supported energy sources,
methodological and technical assistance to audited entities.

The State Energy Inspection's objective is to contribute to efficient and responsible energy management in line with national and European energy and environmental objectives, as well as to supervise the eligibility of the payment of support for the production of electricity from supported sources.

Office for Technical Standardisation, Metrology and State Testing

The Office for Technical Standardisation, Metrology and State Testing (ÚNMZ) is an organisational unit of the State and is subordinate to the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic. Its main mission is to ensure the tasks arising from the laws of the Czech Republic regulating technical standardisation, metrology and state testing and tasks in the field of technical regulations and standards applied within the framework of the Czech Republic's membership in the European Union. As of 1 January 2018, the performance of activities related to the creation, publication and distribution of technical standards is transferred to the Czech Agency for Standardisation (ČAS), which is established by the Office for Technical Standardisation, Metrology and State Testing.

The main activities of the Office for Technical Standardisation, Metrology and State Testing include:

development and distribution of technical standards,
development and implementation of the metrology programme, authorisation and control of legal metrology bodies and the system of specified measuring instruments,
authorization, notification and supervision of authorized and notified bodies in the field of conformity assessment of products,
ensuring tasks resulting from the Czech Republic's membership in international organisations (standardisation, metrology, conformity assessment) and EU membership in the development of technical regulations
ensuring cooperation with foreign partners in the areas of competence of the Office for Technical Standardisation, Metrology and State Testing.

The aim of the activities of the Office is to ensure technical and legal certainty in the field of production, trade and consumer protection, to promote the competitiveness of enterprises and to facilitate the free movement of goods in the single European market.

Trade Licensing Offices

The Trade Licensing Office of the Czech Republic is the central state administration body for the area of trade business. As the central authority, it develops concepts for the trade business, manages, controls and coordinates the activities of regional trade offices and, through them, the activities of municipal trade offices. The Trade Licensing Office of the Czech Republic is also a methodological body for the trade business and handles appeals against decisions of regional trade licensing offices. It has the power to order any trade office to carry out a trade inspection. Although its competence is given by law, it has not yet been established. Thus, its powers are currently exercised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic. Part of its activity is thus the creation of legal regulation of trade business on the territory of the Czech Republic. Within the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the activities of the Trade Licensing Office of the Czech Republic are entrusted to the Department of Trade Licensing and Consumer Legislation by its organisational rules. The Trade Licensing Office of the Czech Republic is also the administrator of the Trade Licensing Register, ensuring the interconnection of this register with the basic registers of public administration and other information registers. It ensures the publication of data from the Trade Register in the form of remote access and further development of the Trade Register information system. In carrying out its activities, it cooperates with the relevant administrative authorities and ministries responsible for the sectors in which trades are carried out, and with chambers of commerce, business associations and unions. For the purposes of its activities, it shall be entitled to request opinions and statements from them concerning their competence. These authorities shall communicate these opinions and statements to the Trade Licensing Office of the Czech Republic within 15 days.

The Department of Trades and Consumer Legislation is responsible for the exercise of state administration in the area of trade business. In particular, it carries out the functions of the Trade Licensing Office of the Czech Republic, decides on ordinary and extraordinary appeals against decisions of regional trade licensing offices, methodically guides regional trade licensing offices by unifying the interpretation of trade and related legislation and by drawing up methodological opinions on individual cases, provides professional training for the staff of trade licensing offices, in particular in the form of nationwide training courses and methodological consultations, and controls the activities of trade licensing offices, drafting legislation in the field of trade business, ensuring compliance of trade business legislation with EU law, ensuring the activities of the trade register administrator, carrying out control activities in relation to regional trade business regulations, cooperating in the field of trade business with the relevant administrative authorities in charge of the sectors in which trade business is carried out, with chambers of commerce, business associations and unions, and drawing up concepts in the field of trade business.

The annotations to the individual inspection authorities under the responsibility of the Ministry of Industry and Trade have been prepared by the competent inspection authority.