COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) No 504/2014
of 15 May 2014
amending Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011 as regards the conditions of approval of the active substance plant oils/citronella oil
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market and repealing Council Directives 79/117/EEC and 91/414/EEC (1), and in particular Article 13(2)(c) and Article 78(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
The active substance plant oils/citronella oil was included in Annex I to Council Directive 91/414/EEC (2) by Commission Directive 2008/127/EC (3) in accordance with the procedure provided for in Article 24b of Commission Regulation (EC) No 2229/2004 (4). Since the replacement of Directive 91/414/EEC by Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009, this substance is deemed to have been approved under that Regulation and is listed in Part A of the Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011 (5).
(2)
In accordance with Article 25a of Regulation (EC) No 2229/2004, the European Food Safety Authority, hereinafter ‘the Authority’, presented to the Commission its view on the draft review report for plant oils/citronella oil (6) on 16 December 2011. The Authority communicated its view on plant oils/citronella oil to the notifier. The Commission invited the notifier to submit comments on the draft review report for plant oils/citronella oil. The draft review report and the view of the Authority were reviewed by the Member States and the Commission within the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health and the draft review report was finalised on 3 October 2013 in the format of the Commission review report for plant oils/citronella oil.
(3)
It is confirmed that the active substance plant oils/citronella oil is to be deemed to have been approved under Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009.
(4)
In accordance with Article 13(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 in conjunction with Article 6 thereof and in the light of current scientific and technical knowledge, it is necessary to amend the conditions of approval. It is, in particular, appropriate to require further confirmatory information.
(5)
The Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011 should therefore be amended accordingly.
(6)
Member States should be provided with time to amend or withdraw authorisations for plant protection products containing plant oils/citronella oil.
(7)
For plant protection products containing plant oils/citronella oil, where Member States grant any grace period in accordance with Article 46 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009, this period should expire at the latest eighteen months after the date of entry into force of the regulation.
(8)
The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Amendment to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011
Part A of the Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011 is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.
Article 2
Transitional measures
Member States shall in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009, where necessary, amend or withdraw existing authorisations for plant protection products containing plant oils/citronella oil as active substance by 5 December 2014.
Article 3
Grace period
Any grace period granted by Member States in accordance with Article 46 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 shall be as short as possible and shall expire 5 December 2015 at the latest.
Article 4
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 15 May 2014.