Brussels, 19/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - Biocides are products to kill pests, ranging from rat-killers to wood disinfectants via insecticides, and they will soon be the subject of strict EU precautionary principle rules, now that MEPs on 19 January 2012 approved the provisional agreement between the EP and the Council of Ministers on an EU regulation on the use and sale of biocides in order to protect human and animal health and the environment, encourage innovation, and simplify the authorisation process (see EUROPE 10534).
EP rappporteur Christa Klass (EPP, Germany) is delighted that a balanced solution has been found to improve safety and approval standards alike and to provide Europe with new, safer and more effective products. She was speaking after the vote on Thursday. The EU Council of Ministers has already given the provisional go-ahead, and can now formally adopt the regulation, which will come into force on 1 September 2013 and replace the current directive (Directive 98/EC).
The updated rules will ensure that all treated products will need proper labelling, including furniture treated with fungicides and kitchen units treated with anti-bacterial solutions.
The most problematic harmful substances, carcinogens and products that damage genes, hormones or upset the reproductive system, should be banned in theory, but member states will be able to introduce exceptions where absolutely necessary, for example, if a biocide is needed to avert a public health danger. Authorisations and renewals of authorisations will have strict time limits, during which safer alternatives are to be developed.
To protect against the dangers of nanotechnology, special safety controls and distinctive labelling for products containing nanomaterials are included in the legislation. The recognition of approvals among member states will be improved, and the possibility to apply for authorisation at EU level will be phased in from 2013, becoming possible for most biocidal products by 2020.
In order to reduce animal experimentation, companies will have to sell research data about biocides for a fair price.
AISE, the international association of soap, detergents and maintenance products, issued a press release welcoming the EP's vote as a significant improvement on current rules because it provides industry with a more efficient, reliable authorisation system, both in terms of requirements and procedures, which should lead to more uniform safety assessments. It believes that EU-wide authorisations will encourage innovation and the development of safe, new products where required. Suzanne Zanker, AISE Director-General, said she welcomed the draft legislation as a big step towards a harmonised biocide market, providing high levels of protection of human health and the environment throughout the European Union. (AN/transl.fl)