(1)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1451/2007 of 4 December 2007 on the second phase of the 10-year work programme referred to in Article 16(2) of Directive 98/8/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the placing of biocidal products on the market (2) establishes a list of active substances to be assessed, with a view to their possible inclusion in Annex I, IA or IB to Directive 98/8/EC. That list includes alphachloralose.

(2)

Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1451/2007, alphachloralose has been evaluated in accordance with Article 11(2) of Directive 98/8/EC for use in product-type 14, rodenticides, as defined in Annex V to Directive 98/8/EC.

(3)

Portugal was designated as rapporteur Member State and submitted the competent authority report, together with a recommendation, to the Commission on 14 November 2006 in accordance with Article 14(4) and (6) of Regulation (EC) No 1451/2007.

(4)

The competent authority report was reviewed by the Member States and the Commission. In accordance with Article 15(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1451/2007, the findings of the review were incorporated, within the Standing Committee on Biocidal Products on 30 May 2008, in an assessment report.

(5)

It appears from the examinations made that biocidal products used as rodenticides and containing alphachloralose may be expected to satisfy the requirements laid down in Article 5 of Directive 98/8/EC. It is therefore appropriate to include alphachloralose in Annex I, in order to ensure that in all Member States authorisations for biocidal products used as rodenticides and containing alphachloralose can be granted, modified, or cancelled in accordance with Article 16(3) of Directive 98/8/EC.

(6)

Not all potential uses have been evaluated at the Community level. It is therefore appropriate that Member States assess those risks to the compartments and populations that have not been representatively addressed in the Community level risk assessment and, when granting product authorisations, ensure that appropriate measures are taken or specific conditions imposed in order to mitigate the identified risks to acceptable levels.

(7)

In the light of the conclusions of the assessment report, it is appropriate to require that specific risk mitigation measures are applied at product authorisation level to products containing alphachloralose and used as rodenticides. Such measures should be aimed at limiting the risk of primary and secondary exposure of humans and non-target animals as well as the long-term effects of the substance on the environment.

(8)

It is important that the provisions of this Directive be applied simultaneously in all the Member States in order to ensure equal treatment of biocidal products on the market containing the active substance alphachloralose and also to facilitate the proper operation of the biocidal products market in general.

(9)

A reasonable period should be allowed to elapse before an active substance is included in Annex I in order to permit Member States and the interested parties to prepare themselves to meet the new requirements entailed and to ensure that applicants who have prepared dossiers can benefit fully from the 10-year period of data protection, which, in accordance with Article 12(1)(c)(ii) of Directive 98/8/EC, starts from the date of inclusion.

(10)

After inclusion, Member States should be allowed a reasonable period to implement Article 16(3) of Directive 98/8/EC, and in particular, to grant, modify or cancel authorisations of biocidal products in product-type 14 containing alphachloralose to ensure that they comply with Directive 98/8/EC.

(11)

Directive 98/8/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.

(12)

The Standing Committee on Biocidal Products was consulted on 30 May 2008 and delivered a positive opinion on the draft Commission Directive amending Annex I to Directive 98/8/EC to include alphachloralose as an active substance. On 11 June 2008 the Commission submitted the said draft for scrutiny by the European Parliament and the Council. The European Parliament did not oppose the draft measures within the set deadline. The Council opposed the adoption by the Commission indicating that the proposed measures exceeded the implementing powers provided for in Directive 1998/8/EC. As a consequence, the Commission did not adopt the draft measures and submitted an amended draft of the concerned Directive to the Standing Committee on Biocidal Products. The Standing Committee was consulted on the said draft on 20 February 2009.

(13)

The measures provided for in this Directive are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Biocidal Products,