Brussels, 20/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik has welcomed the vote in the European Parliament (EP) which paves the way for the adoption of the new regulation on the use of and authorisation to market biocidal products (see EUROPE 10535). In a press release issued on Friday 20 January, the commissioner sees the EP decision as a boost to human health and environmental protection, and also to the internal market. “The vote is another step towards ensuring that only safe products are made available and that the most dangerous substances are kept out of our market. The simplification of authorisation procedures will bring considerable economic benefits to European companies while ensuring a high level of environmental protection for citizens”, he said. Among other reasons for satisfaction, the Commission states that, once adopted, this regulation will be the first piece of legislation to integrate the new Commission definition on nanomaterials, proposed in October of last year (see EUROPE 10476), and will create a genuine internal market for biocides with the creation of an EU-wide authorisation procedure. It also highlights that the work of the Helsinki-based European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in providing scientific and technical back-up will be significantly increased. The total number of opinions to be delivered by ECHA is expected to grow from 80 in 2014 to 300 in 2020. (AN/transl.rt)