Wednesday, 18th January 2012
Debate on the Klass report on the placing on the market of biocidal products
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, STRASBOURG, 18 JANUARY 2012
New legislation to replace the Biocidal Products Directive is absolutely necessary. I must therefore congratulate all my colleagues who worked on the dossier for being able to find common ground with the Council and reach a compromise agreement.
I am particularly pleased with the provisions for clear labelling, labelling of nano-materials and the recognition that excessive restrictions on certain products may result in a disproportionate negative impact on society.
However, I would urge the Commission and Member States to be wary of the cost of compliance with the new legislation. We must make sure that the process of getting approval to use necessary products is not so great that the companies who need them cannot afford it.
Intimidating costs mean many SMEs in my constituency - Scotland - feel excluded from the entire process. We must ensure a level playing field and prevent dominant companies from excluding smaller competitors. Just as excessive restrictions on certain products may result in a disproportionate negative impact on society, excessive costs for compliance will have a disproportionate impact on businesses, particularly SMEs who make up a significant part of this particular industry.
STRUAN STEVENSON, MEP
