(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 thiabendazole.

(2)

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

(3)

Spain was designated as Rapporteur Member State and submitted the competent authority report, together with a recommendation, to the Commission on 9 May 2006 in accordance with 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 22 February 2008, in an assessment report.

(5)

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

(6)

However, unacceptable risks were identified for the in situ treatment of wood outdoors and for treated wood exposed to weathering. Therefore, authorisations for these uses should not be granted unless data have been submitted in order to demonstrate that the products can be used without unacceptable risks to the environment.

(7)

In the light of the findings of the assessment report, it is appropriate to require that risk mitigation measures are applied at product authorisation level to products containing thiabendazole and used as wood preservatives to ensure that risks are reduced to an acceptable level in accordance with Article 5 of Directive 98/8/EC and Annex VI thereto. In particular, appropriate measures should be taken to protect the soil and aquatic compartments since unacceptable risks in these compartments have been identified during the evaluation and products intended for industrial and/or professional use should be used with appropriate protective equipment if the risk identified for industrial and/or professional users cannot be reduced by other means.

(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 thiabendazole 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 8 containing thiabendazole to ensure that they comply with Directive 98/8/EC.

(11)

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

(12)

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