General News

BPR comes into force

Regulatory requirements apply next September

The Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR), which was adopted in the spring entered into force on 17 July. The regulatory requirements it imposes on industry will apply from 1 September 2013 and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is preparing to start the new regulatory processes by then. It is already recruiting new administrative tasks and signing contracts to develop new IT tools for notification of biocidal products. The initial web pages should be published later in the summer.

The stated aim of the BPR is “to simplify and harmonise the procedures for authorisation and at the same time ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment”. As under the Biocidal Products Directive, only biocidal products with approved active substances may be authorised to be placed on the market. However, the BPR features some changes, notably Union Authorisation, which will allow companies to obtain authorisations for their biocidal products that are applicable across the whole EU.

ECHA will be responsible for coordinating the approval processes for substances and the authorisation of products at EU level. A new Biocidal Products Committee, consisting of representatives from each of the EU Member States will give its opinion on biocidal products, supported by technical and scientific support from ECHA.