China has always been a major exporter of pesticide technical materials. The most convenient way for pesticide technical materials to enter the European market is to apply for Technical Equivalence (TE) Assessments. REACH24H, based on our experience in assisting companies with TE applications, found that many companies are still not familiar with how technical specifications are determined in TE. Hence, this article summarizes some common questions for companies interested in TE applications.

The European Union authorisation is a new form of authorization which was recently introduced into the EU Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR), promulgated on 1st September, 2013. Based on the new article, this Union-level authorization will allow products to be sold in all EU countries at one same time. This will simplify the assessment of applications and reduce the cost and time required compared with the reporting route of obtaining national authorizations in multiple member states.

1.[EU BPR]The First opinion on Union authorization was adopted The Biocidal Products Committee (BPC) supported applications for EU-wide access to the market  of two biocidal product families containing iodine/PVP-iodine for use in veterinary hygiene on 20 December 2017. It is the first opinion supporting applications for Union authorization which means that it is realized successfully that companies are allowed to place their biocidal products on the market throughout the entire Union with one authorization form. 2.[US EPA-FIFRA]Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act (PRIA 4) will recently be updated PRIA 3 is about to expire and PRIA 4 will enable after PRIA 3 is invalid. While PRIA 3 was originally set to expire December 8, 2017, now for the duration of that Continuing Resolution period, it has been extended until January 19, 2018. When PRIA 4 is expected to be enabled, a number of new registration types, such as disinfectant devices identification, will be added, as well as additional review costs. 3.[Chinese disinfectant products] The relevant standards for relevant Chinese disinfectant products are to be issued. NHFPC (National Health and Family Planning Commission) is working to formulate or revise relevant standards for disinfection products, including the classified catalogue of disinfection products, hygienic safety evaluation, test contents, disinfecting wipes, etc. These are expected to be announced in the first half year of 2018. 4.[EU BPR]Draft guidance for identifying endocrine disruptors was issued This draft guidance for identifying endocrine disruptors which will be used to evaluate pesticides and biocides has been developed by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) with the support of the Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). ECHA and EFSA are inviting interested parties to comment on the draft guidance document for the identification of endocrine disruptors under EU legisl

It has been more than 2 years since Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR, Regulation (EU) 528/2012) applied on 1st September 2013. In 2016, legal deadlines of several articles are approaching, including the notification of 'in situ generated' biocidal active substances, treated article and Union Authorization.