Brussels, 18/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - On the eve of the Parliament's vote on the draft regulation on the sale and use of biocidal products (see EUROPE N.10533), the MEP Christa Klass (EPP, Germany), rapporteur for this dossier, explained to the press on 18 January the stakes of this new legislation and its importance to health, the environment and the single market.
The text of the provisional agreement between the Parliament and the Council, on which the plenary session is called upon to take position, has a broad scope, as it covers anti-parasitic products (insecticides, fungicides) commonly used for conservation purposes in the production of wood, furniture and leather, and will apply both to biocides and biocide-treated products.
“In the EU, we have regulated pesticides and chemical products. For biocide products, a directive was adopted in 1998 (the directive 98/EC), but it has not been sufficiently applied, as it has not been possible to authorise any new substances in the absence of a common basis for the member states and the registration of new substances. The subject is not an especially topical one, but will be voted on at second reading during Thursday's plenary session. We require a two-thirds majority. The other groups have pledged their support. I hope that it will be adopted, because it will be a new step towards the protection of animal and human health, the environment and the single market”, said a confident Christa Klass.
In mid-2012, the Council of the EU will take position in turn. Once formally adopted, this regulation will enter into force on 1 September 2013 and will replace the 1998 directive. Although Christa Klass is firmly of the opinion that “this new regulation will offer greater safety for consumers, businesses and SMEs”, it is for the following reasons: - the text of the agreement contains very strict exclusion criteria; - the principle of precaution applies, as is the case for phytosanitary products: - and exceptions have been provided for in the event of danger to health and hygiene, and very clear exemptions. If there are no alternative products to fight a serious risk to health and the environment, or if the non-authorisation will have disproportionate harmful consequences, the biocide in question can be used.
“We wish to achieve a certain unity at European level”, the rapporteur added. It is for this purpose that the text of the agreement provides for: - a single authority responsible for authorisation; - clear labelling for products containing biocides; - a ban on importing products containing biocides if these substances are not authorised within the EU; - a regulatory system allowing businesses to obtain authorisation fairly easily once all regulatory conditions are met; - a guarantee for intellectual property rights, together with the possibility of access to studies in order to avoid any unnecessary repetition of animal testing; - an obligatory reference to all nano-material in the labelling: in this way, substances treated with nano-material or which contain any must be listed on the label; - and the possibility of a simplified authorisation procedure for natural products.
Christa Klass nonetheless believes that the text could have gone further. “The Parliament had called for a directive on the Commission's objectives for the implementation of the regulation. We did not get this, but the European Commission has the competence to monitor the situation”, she said. It can carry out this competence, for example, for products to treat headlice, which are not without their effects, which hairdressers need to be aware of.
“As of 2013 or 2020, we would like certain substances to be authorised . Two thirds of products have been able to be the subject of an agreement. Anti-fouling products for boats are considered by the member states to be useful, but are toxic. We want to encourage innovation to develop alternative products. In five years, we could have less harmful products and it may be possible to obtain authorisation at European level”, the rapporteur went on to stress. (AN/transl.fl)