News Details

The European Commission has launched a call for evidence and a public consultation to inform the evaluation of the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR; Regulation (EU) No 528/2012). The consultation is part of the Commission’s assessment of whether the BPR remains fit for purpose after over a decade of implementation.

Scope and objectives of the evaluation

The evaluation will examine the implementation of the BPR between 1 September 2013 and 1 September 2025, and it is scheduled to run from Q4 2025 to Q2 2027. It will assess the regulation against the five Better Regulation criteria: effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value. Particular attention will be paid to the functioning of the two-step system for active substance approval and product authorisation. This includes the persistent delays identified in the Commission’s 2021 implementation report under Article 65(4), as well as the limited innovation in new biocidal active substances.

The Commission will also assess the coherence of the BPR with other EU chemicals legislation, including the REACH Regulation, the CLP Regulation, the Plant Protection Products Regulation and the Food Contact Materials Regulation. The evaluation covers all EU Member States as well as Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

Consultation open until 5 March 2026

The call for evidence and public consultation are open from 11 December 2025 to 5 March 2026 on the Commission’s Have Your Say portal. Stakeholders can submit feedback in any of the 24 official EU languages. In parallel, the Commission plans targeted consultations with Member State authorities, industry (including SMEs), the European Chemicals Agency, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders.

The result of the consultation and supporting studies will be summarised in a Commission staff working document, which may inform a possible future revision of the Biocidal Products Regulation. This would be accompanied by an impact assessment.