(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 fipronil for use in product-type 18, insecticides, acaricides and products to control other arthropods, as defined in Annex V to the Directive.

(2)

Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1451/2007, fipronil has been evaluated in accordance with Article 11(2) of Directive 98/8/EC for use in product-type 18.

(3)

France was designated as Rapporteur Member State and submitted the competent authority report, together with a recommendation, to the Commission in accordance with Article 14(4) and (6) of Regulation (EC) No 1451/2007 on 6 February 2009.

(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 6 May 2011, in an assessment report.

(5)

It appears from the evaluations that biocidal products used as insecticides and containing fipronil may be expected to satisfy the requirements laid down in Article 5 of Directive 98/8/EC. It is therefore appropriate to include fipronil in Annex I to that Directive.

(6)

Not all potential uses have been evaluated in the Union level assessment, which only addressed professional use indoors by application in locations normally inaccessible to man and domestic animals after application. It is therefore appropriate to require that Member States assess those uses or exposure scenarios and those risks to human populations and to environmental compartments that have not been representatively addressed in the Union level risk assessment and, when granting product authorisations, ensure that appropriate measures are taken or specific conditions imposed in order to reduce the identified risks to acceptable levels.

(7)

The provisions of this Directive should be applied at the same time in all Member States in order to ensure equal treatment on the Union market of biocidal products containing the active substance fipronil, and also to facilitate the proper operation of the biocidal products market in general.

(8)

A reasonable period should be allowed to elapse before an active substance is included in Annex I to Directive 98/8/EC in order to permit Member States and 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.

(9)

After inclusion, Member States should be allowed a reasonable period to implement Article 16(3) of Directive 98/8/EC.

(10)

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

(11)

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