PIC Regulation: EU Amends Annexes I and V

The EU Commission is seeking to amend Annexes I and V of EU Regulation No. 649/2012, thereby supplementing the list of substances that are forbidden or strictly limited for import into or export from the EU. The EU published the changes on May 15. Public consultation ended on March 13.

The chemicals affected by the changes include the fungicides thiram and propiconazole along with the  
neonicotinoid insecticides clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and imidacloprid.

Thiram: The EU has not renewed the approval of thiram according to the Plant Protection Regulation (EU-1107/2009). Nevertheless, it can still be used as a preservative for textiles, leathers, and so on (product type 9) according to the Biocide Regulation (EU-528/2012).

Propiconazole: The EU has also not renewed the approval of propiconazole according to the Plant Protection Regulation. But it can still be used as a coating agent; wood preservative; and preservative for textiles, leather, and so on (product types 7, 8, and 9) according to the Biocide Regulation.

Clothianidin and thiamethoxam: The approval for both chemicals has expired, and a new application was recalled by the applicant after the EU changed the conditions for approval. That places these chemicals in the subcategory “pesticides in the group of plant protection products,” meaning that they may not be used. The Biocide Regulation allows their use as insecticides (product type 18) to combat pests.

Annex I now includes the pesticide phorate and the bromated flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD). In May 2013, the latter was included in Annex A of the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants. Phorate has been listed in Annex  III of the Rotterdam Convention since 2017.

For more information and links related to the PIC Regulation, see our earlier KFT blog entry, EU Amends PIC Regulation Annexes.

Please contact us at biocides@kft.de if you have any questions.