On June 15, 2016 the European Commission (EC) presented criteria to identify endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in the field of plant protection products and biocides. The EC published these criteria with a two and a half year delay, after missing the deadline to define EDC criteria by December 2013 as specified in the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) (FPF reported). In December 2015, the General Court of the European Union ruled that the EC breached EU law by failing to define EDC criteria within the given deadline (FPF reported).
In its communication to the European Parliament and the European Council, the EC proposes “to adopt a strong science-based approach to the identification of endocrine disruptors.” The proposed EDC criteria are based on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition of an endocrine disruptor, specifying that an EDC must have i) an adverse effect on human health, ii) an endocrine mode of action, and iii) a causal link between the adverse effect and the mode of action. Further, the criteria require that identification of EDCs should i) make use of all relevant scientific evidence, ii) use a weight of evidence-based approach, and iii) apply a robust systematic review.
The EC published two draft legal acts containing the EDC criteria for the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR, (EU) No 528/2012) and the Plant Protection Products Regulation (PPPR, (EC) No 1107/2009), respectively. On the same date, the EC also published the socio-economic impact assessment it conducted on the different options for EDC criteria as outlined in the EU EDC roadmap.
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EC (June 15, 2016). “Commission presents scientific criteria to identify endocrine disruptors in the pesticides and biocides areas.”
EC (June 15, 2016). “Frequently Asked Questions: Endocrine disruptors.”
EC (June 15, 2016). “Commission staff working document – Impact assessment: Defining criteria for identifying endocrine disruptors in the context of the implementation of the plant protection products regulation and biocidal products regulation.” (pdf)
EC (June 15, 2016). “Commission staff working document – Executive summary of the impact assessment.” (pdf)
