WIREDGOV

The Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER I) agreed on a mandate for the Lithuanian EU Council Presidency to start negotiations with a view to reaching a first-reading agreement on the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 concerning the making available on the market and use of biocidal products with regard to certain conditions for access to the market.

The main purpose of the proposed Regulation is to remedy certain problems stemming from the Biocides Regulation, which entered into force on 1 September 2013. In particular, it aims at removing un-intended market barriers for suppliers of new articles treated with biocidal products and for a large number of suppliers of biocidal active substances. Furthermore, it defines a protection period for data relating to products with the most favourable risk profile and corrects other inconsistencies in the text of the Regulation.

According to the Chair of the Committee ambassador Arūnas Vinčiūnas, there is a need to amend the current transitional rules for articles treated with biocidal substances that would lead to an un-intended market freeze for articles that contain substances which have not yet been evaluated at EU level.

According to the ambassador, these amendments will ensure better protection of consumers’ health by prohibiting of introduction of toxic biocides to the market, if the articles are used by general public. The amendments also foresee the possibility for small manufacturers to participate in Commission‘s Active Substance Review program and benefit from it.

“Time presses to agree on this text of the proposal for an amending Regulation on the table, in order to provide for legal certainty on the related issues. We look forward to constructive negotiations and to reaching rather quickly an agreement with the co-legislator on this dossier,” said ambassador A.Vinčiūnas.

The Committee today discussed issues relating to the biocidal product family (BPF). Many suggested that Commission’s guidelines should stipulate that in detail.

Lithuanian Presidency presented to the Committee compromise text as a basis to conduct the negotiations at the first informal trilogue with the European Parliament and the European Commission scheduled for 2 December.

The Commission submitted the above-mentioned proposal on 21 May 2013. The Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety of the European Parliament on 17 October 2013 adopted 28 amendments to the Commission's proposal.