Biociden milieuvriendelijker en veiliger (en)

The Member States felt that the compromise package negotiated by Presidency is well balanced and consistent with the framework of the Treaty and EU’s environmental policy objectives.

Once all procedural steps are completed, the biocidal products dossier can be adopted by the Council and the European Parliament in the second reading.

Thanks to this regulation, an authentication system for biocidal products will be created which will be more environmentally friendly and safer to the consumer. Biocides are commonly used in households, hospitals, and various industries. They are used as disinfectants, additives for paints, varnishes, wood preserving products, rodenticides, insecticides, and many other products.

The changes, in relation to the current directive, relate mainly to supplementing the procedural aspects of the authorization of products by: introducing the possibility of registering certain groups of products in the European Union (Union Authorisation), introducing an efficient mechanisms for mutual recognition of authorizations by member countries, and making registration procedures more efficient through central coordination of the evaluation of active substances and products by the European Chemical Agency, with an electronic data interchange, using the Central Register of Biocidal Products.

One of the new important elements is to extend the scope of regulation into products treated with biocidal agents, previously uncontrolled(and potentially hazardous for their users). Several years of experience in implementing the existing Biocides Directive revealed its many weaknesses (mainly procedural, relating to terms and terminology, but also the lack of detailed solutions).

The purpose of this amendment is therefore to improve the system, adapt it to current market needs, simplify the procedures and introduce better harmonization. Therefore, , the European Commission proposed to amend the legal instrument governing the registration and introduction to the market of biocidal products, through replacing the directive with a regulation (which is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in Member States).

The introduction of this regulation will significantly improve the organisation of the market of biocidal products and increase their safety for end users and the environment.