The Biocidal Products Regulation

Negar Bahraini joined knoell USA in January 2021, bringing extensive expertise in regulatory affairs, strategic compliance planning, and market expansion within the U.S. regulatory landscape. With over 15 years of experience in the chemicals, biocides, pesticides, and antimicrobials sectors, she supports clients in navigating complex regulatory frameworks to ensure compliance and business growth. Holding a Master of Science in Analytical Chemistry, and a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) with years of accumulative experiences, Negar has a strong background in research and development, business operations, organizational process optimization, biocides, biologicals, biocontrol, and conventional. Her career spans diverse industrial settings, including energy, professional services, and agriculture, where she has successfully guided companies through regulatory challenges, risk management, and US market entry strategies. At knoell USA, she continues to support clients with tailored regulatory solutions, helping them achieve long-term success in an evolving industry.

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.

Renate Borgmann-Strahsen is Technical Development Manager Biocides at Nouryon. She joined the company’s predecessor 38 years ago as a microbiologist and has since held roles in R&D on biocides, Quality Management, Regulatory Affairs, Sales and Marketing. In her current position, she acts as the interphase between Nouryon as producer of biocidal active substances and customers formulating them. She works closely with experts across Regulatory, Sales, Marketing and R&D and is strongly involved in all BPR-related matters for Nouryon’s actives and customers’ biocidal products.

Hélène Jarrety joined the Belgian Competent Authorities for biocides in 2017. Over the years, she has worked as an environmental expert, product dossier manager, member of the Coordination Group and member of the Biocidal Products Committee. She currently coordinates EU biocidal product dossiers and is appointed as a member of the Competent Authorities meeting and the Standing Committee. Hélène holds a master’s degree in biology with a specialization in environment from the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1 in France.

Robert Jones is a Regulatory Consultant specialising in biocides, with 10 years’ experience supporting active substance approvals and biocidal product authorisations across the EU, GB and global markets. At Sagentia Regulatory, Robert manages complex technical and regulatory programmes covering PT2, PT3, PT4 and PT22 active substance dossiers, as well as PT18 and PT19 Biocidal Product Family submissions (including Union authorisations). He provides strategic guidance on dossier preparation, national authorisations, transitional biocide national systems, and defence of submissions during evaluation. Robert also has significant experience conducting socio economic analyses (SEA) and analysis of alternatives (AoA) for active substances meeting BPR exclusion criteria, supporting derogation cases and regulatory decision making. Prior to joining Sagentia Regulatory, he spent several years at ERM as a Senior Consultant, leading multi disciplinary teams, managing national submissions to authorities such as HSE, Ctgb, BAuA and others, and delivering global regulatory support projects.

Saskia Klutzny is a biotechnologist and worked in the pharmaceutical research industry before joining the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in 2018. As a Senior Scientific Officer she is evaluating the residue behaviour of biocides and is assessing the risk of consumers to biocide residues in food. She is a member of the BPC ad-hoc working group ARTFood (Assessment of Residue Transfer to Food) and is working on the advancement of assessment concepts and exposure models.

Natalie Konings is a Partner in the Brussels office of Bird & Bird. Natalie specialises in biocides regulation. She regularly advises clients on biocidal product authorisations, active substance approvals, labelling requirements, and compliance matters. Natalie is extensively involved in the establishment and running of task forces and consortia under the BPR, providing strategic guidance on data sharing, joint submissions, regulatory strategy, and the negotiation and drafting of consortium agreements and related contractual arrangements. Her practice also encompasses the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH), as well as the chemical regulatory aspects of cosmetics, medical devices, pharmaceutical and other products. Additionally, Natalie is often involved in litigation and represents clients before arbitration instances, as well as in ECHA Board of Appeal cases, including disputes arising from consortium agreements and data-sharing arrangements.

Henning Krüger is a lawyer at the Dortmund-based law firm ChemLaw, specialised in chemical regulations (BPR, REACH, CLP, cosmetics, etc.). He advises companies from production and trade on product compliance and product stewardship projects, as well as on drafting contracts within the supply chain. He also represents companies in 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.

Claudio Mereu is a Partner in the Brussels office of Bird & Bird. With over 26 years’ experience, Claudio focuses on EU regulatory law with an emphasis on chemicals (REACH/CLP) and biocides, as well as other related consumer, professional and industrial goods (cosmetics, medical devices, etc.). His practice can be divided into three main streams: advisory, advocacy and litigation at both EU and national levels. This includes assisting clients in navigating the EU regulatory landscape, policies and compliance requirements across various sectors. Claudio also provides advocacy support to clients, engaging with EU and Member State policymakers and government officials, working in partnership with the EU Focus Group to provide input on public consultations and product-related decisions and restrictions. He also has a very active litigation practice both domestically and internationally, having defended over 40 cases before the EU courts.

Pascal Schmahl is a sector group manager at Biocides for Europe a sector group of CEFIC. He joined Biocides for Europe beginning of 2024 and possesses a legal background. Next to his role in Biocides for Europe, he is also active in another CEFIC sector group: FCA (Food Contact Additives).

Michael Werner is a chemist as well as a certified (DGPT) and Eurotox-registered toxicologist. He has worked for various consultancies, as well as in the chemical and plant protection industries, and has almost 30 years of experience in human health hazard, exposure and risk assessments for PPPs, biocides and industrial chemicals. Michael has been working on biocides for nearly 20 years, with a focus on human health, efficacy and regulatory aspects across almost all product types, including the assessment of potential endocrine-disrupting properties of active substances and biocidal products, and their discussion and defence before regulatory authorities at national and EU level. At Stockmeier Chemie, Michael heads the regulatory affairs department with a strong focus on biocides in general.

Ellen Van Belle graduated in 2005 as Master in Bio-engineering with specialization in cell and gene biotechnology at Ghent University, where she also worked as a scientific researcher between 2005 and 2008. From 2008 till 2018, she worked in the pharmaceutical industry. She gained 10 years’ experience in the field of regulatory affairs, including medicines and biocides. She joined ARCHE Consulting in 2018. At ARCHE Consulting her main focus is on human risk assessment and dossier preparation of biocides and biocidal product families.