The Biocidal Products Regulation

Darren Abrahams enables clients throughout the chemicals and life sciences supply chain to get and keep their products on the European Union market. He focuses on defence of products through strategic advice, advocacy before institutions and agencies, and litigation before EU and national courts and tribunals. He has a wealth of experience with the EU regulation of biocidal products, plant protection products (agrochemicals), REACH, classification, labelling and packaging, GM food and feed, cosmetics, and endocrine disruptors.

Jan Willem Andriessen has an education in physics, medicine, environmental sciences, toxicology and epidemiology. He is working at the Dutch Board for the authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb) and has been involved in biocides since 1998, worked on the assessment of human risk and efficacy and is specialised in regulatory affairs. Jan Willem has a broad experience in applying the rules of the BPR, active substance and products assessment, biocides policy, project management, borderline issues and in situ generated biocides. He was account manager at Ctgb for the biocides industry, worked for the Dutch government at the CA meetings and participated in twinning projects on biocides with Slovenia, Serbia and Poland. For the last 8 years, Jan Willem has been working as a Senior Policy Advisor at Ctgb involved in the development of new policies on national and European level. Recent activities were on subjects like in-situ generated biocidal products, IPM implementation for rodenticides and improving instructions for use of phosphide products.

Carsten Baehr is a regulatory affairs leader with commercial, scientific and technical expertise in biocides, pesticides, industrial chemicals, personal care and consumer products. For close to 20 years, he has been managing regulatory groups working across the different industry sectors. Carsten currently acts as the Global Director Regulatory Affairs for Arxada Industrial Microbial Control.

Zameer Bhunnoo has 20 years of experience working for HSE, initially employed as a regulatory inspector enforcing health and safety legislation within workplaces. Previous work also included national policy lead for violence at work and representing HSE on the International Labour Organisation’s first international treaty to recognize the right of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment. Zameer was also the national policy lead for mental healthcare and social care. Zameer is now based in the Biocides Policy Team primarily working on the implementation of the Great Britain Biocidal Products Regulation.

Piet Blancquaert is Biologist by training with specialisation and PhD’s in ecology and toxicology. He has over 20 years of experience in the biocides and plant protection products industries and started his own consultancy business in 2010 where he is focusing on the Biocidal Products Regulation and its impact on the business. His experience allows him to assist companies in their strategies to run a successful business in compliance with the complex European legislative framework. Together with Arche Consulting he also started Arch Consortia to deal with consortia allowing an efficient preparation, submission and follow-up of applications for product authorisations under the BPR.

Isabelle Demoment is Microbiologist and Regulatory and CSR Director as well as member of the executive committee of Kersia. She has been involved in the deployment of the BPR for 30 years, submitting dossiers for active substances and products and has been dedicating time in different professional associations to promote a good understanding and application of any new regulations.

Carmen Estevan Martínez has been working in ECHA’s Biocides Units for more than 9 years and is currently the Process Coordination for the active substance approval process. She was the Chair of the ad hoc Biocidal Product Committee Working Group on the Human Exposure (HEAdhoc) between 2016-2020.

Lonne Gerritsen has a background in plant protection research. From 2007 to 2018 she worked for the Dutch Board for the Authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb) as an expert on efficacy of biocides. She was a member of the ECHA BPR WG on efficacy and was involved in the preparation of efficacy guidance over the years. In 2018, she started working for Knoell in the Netherlands as a consultant in regulatory affairs and efficacy expert for biocides. In her current role at Knoell, Lonne is part of Knoell’s efficacy task force and supports clients with her expertise in the efficacy and regulatory area.

Lena Gruhn is a German lawyer and started working in the legal department of the Federal Office for Chemicals at the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) in 2010. In 2016, she was seconded to work with the Federal Ministry for the environment for one year and since May 2022, she is seconded as a national expert (SNE) to the European Commission working in the biocides team.

Stella Höfl is a Chemist and holds a PhD in pharmacy. At Alzchem Trostberg, she is responsible for the regulatory affairs of agrochemicals worldwide and has long time experience in the field of toxicology and ecotoxicology. Since 2018, she has been involved with the ED assessment under the BPR.

Henning Krüger is a lawyer at the Dortmund-based law firm ChemLaw, specialised on chemical regulations (BPR, REACH, CLP, Cosmetics etc.). He advises companies from production and trade on product compliance and product stewardship projects and in connection with the drafting of contracts in the supply chain. He also represents companies in corresponding regulatory and judicial proceedings at national and European level and in competition law disputes with competitors. Having worked for several years as the responsible lawyer for the Federal Chemicals Agency at the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), Henning is very familiar with all issues of European and national chemicals law.

Camelia Mihai joined the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) in 2009 and is currently Biocides for Europe Manager.

Linda Musitelli's academic background is in biotechnology and chemical and toxicological risk assessment. She joined Eurofins BioPharma Product Testing in Italy in 2017, where she is responsible for activities related to the registration of biocidal products within the consultancy division. Linda helps clients to bring products to market, develop cost-effective strategies and overcome the complex challenges.

Matti Sander studied law in Münster, Sheffield and Speyer. After completion of his legal clerkship at the regional court of Essen he started working as a legal officer at the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA). As of 2009 he is Head of the unit “Chemicals Law Administration” within the Federal Office for Chemicals at BAuA.

Viola Weinheimer is a Microbiologist working as a Scientific Officer at the Federal Office for Chemicals at the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA). She is responsible for the efficacy assessment of active substances and biocidal products in the context of the BPR and is a member of the Biocidal Products Committee (BPC).

Michael Werner is working as an Expert Regulatory Affairs Manager at Arrow Regulatory. His professional background is chemist as well as certified (DGPT) and Eurotox registered toxicologist. He spent the majority of this professional life in consultancies and he worked also for the chemical and plant protection industries. Michael has got almost 30 years of experience in human health hazard, exposure and risk assessments for PPPs, biocides and industrial chemicals. He has been working on biocides for nearly 20 years with a focus on human health, efficacy and regulatory aspects in almost all product types. In his present role at Arrow Regulatory he also provides regulatory as well as scientific/technical advice to biocides clients with a view to the development of tailor-made dossier strategies for the approval of biocidal active substances and authorisation of biocidal products/biocidal product families including their discussion and defence before regulatory authorities at national and EU level.

Hannah Widemann advises clients on EU regulatory compliance questions in the areas of chemical and product regulations, including REACH, CLP, biocides, plant protection products, and fertilizers. Her work includes product defense and litigation strategies before the European Court of Justice and the Board of Appeal of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), as well as supporting clients with (data sharing) negotiations, contracts, and potential disputes.