Transitional measures and the review programme

Before an authorisation of a biocidal product on national level will take place, the existing active substances will be subject of a systematic examination. 

Existing substances are defined as substances that were already on the European market as active substances in biocidal products before May 14, 2000. 

Member States may continue to apply their current national rules for the placing on the market of existing active substances and biocidal products containing them in their territory, for a period of 10 years from May 14, 2000. 

During the transitional period these active substances will be reviewed and evaluated for possible inclusion in the Annexes I, lA and IB. The details of this 10-year programme of work for the systematic examination are described in two Review Regulations of the European Commission. 

The first Review Regulation (Commission Regulation (EC) No 1896/2000 of 7 September 2000 on the first phase of the programme referred to in Article 16 (2) of Directive 98/8/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on biocidal products [8]) describes the procedures for identification and notification of existing active substances, which had to be submitted before March 28, 2002. With a notification applicants support the evaluation of active substances for listing in the Annexes. Those active substances, for which the notification was accepted, may stay on the market for biocidal purposes until the decision on inclusion or non-inclusion in the Annexes has been taken. 

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