Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2140 of 24 September 2026 allowing the extension of the action taken by the Slovenian Chemicals Office permitting the making available on the market and use of the biocidal product Pyblast EW in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (notified under document C(2026) 6653) (Only the Slovenian text is authentic)
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Address https://gelex.eu/eli/EU/decision/2026/2140@2026-09-24/en
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2012 concerning the making available on the market and use of biocidal products, and in particular Article 55(1), third subparagraph, thereof,
Whereas:
(1) On 21 August 2025, the Slovenian Chemicals Office (the Slovenian competent authority) adopted, in accordance with Article 55(1), first subparagraph, of Regulation (EU) No 528/2012, a decision to permit, from 5 September 2025 until 4 March 2026, the making available on the market and use of the biocidal product Pyblast EW in the areas of Lopata and Medlog, (the action). The Slovenian competent authority informed the Commission and the competent authorities of the other Member States of the action and the justification for it in accordance with Article 55(1), second subparagraph, of that Regulation.
(2) According to the information provided by the Slovenian competent authority, the action was necessary because of a danger to the environment and to animal health that could not be contained by other means. The biocidal product Pyblast EW is used in the areas of Lopata and Medlog for the eradication of red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) along the Črna mlaka watercourse. Procambarus clarkii is included in the list of invasive alien species of Union concern pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council and poses a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems, biodiversity and native crayfish populations. In accordance with Article 17 of that Regulation, Member States are required to take effective eradication measures at an early stage of invasion.
(3) Pyblast EW is a biocidal product of product-type 18 (insecticides, acaricides and products to control other arthropods), as defined in Annex V to Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 and contains Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium extract from open and mature flowers of Tanacetum cinerariifolium obtained with hydrocarbon solvents as an active substance. That active substance is an approved active substance for product-type 18, however, no biocidal product containing that active substance has been authorised so far.
(4) As explained by the Slovenian competent authority, alternative eradication measures were implemented and assessed prior to the action. These included electrofishing, trapping, installation of physical barriers, mechanical cleaning of channels, systematic monitoring and environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis. Those measures have, however, not achieved eradication. Additional technical alternatives, such as large-scale heating of the water body and drying of the watercourse, were examined, but they were deemed non-viable or inadequate. Heating of the water would require treatment of very large volumes and would not reliably reach specimens sheltering deep in burrows. Drying the watercourse was also considered inadequate, as crayfish are capable of surviving drought conditions by retreating into moist burrows. Pyblast EW was identified as the most effective and least environmentally burdensome available option under controlled and strictly limited conditions of use. Laboratory testing conducted under semi-natural conditions confirmed rapid mortality of Procambarus clarkii even at the lowest tested concentration, including after short-term exposure.
(5) On 24 February 2026, the Commission received a reasoned request from the Slovenian competent authority to allow the extension of the action, in accordance with Article 55(1), third subparagraph, of Regulation (EU) No 528/2012. As explained by the Slovenian competent authority, technical and procedural steps had to be taken for the purpose of ensuring full compliance with requirements stemming from the legislation on water and the protection of the environment, before the practical field application of the eradication measures could happen. Such application was therefore postponed and the eradication project could not be completed during the 180-day period of the action. An extension of the action is therefore necessary, to allow the completion of the eradication project and prevent irreversible ecological damage to native crayfish species and aquatic habitats, given the high reproductive capacity of red swamp crayfish, its mobility and ability to colonise new water bodies rapidly.
(6) The presence of red swamp crayfish in the Črna mlaka watercourse poses a danger to the environment and to animal health and that danger cannot be adequately contained by using another biocidal product or by other means. It is therefore appropriate to allow the Slovenian competent authority to extend the action for a period of 180 days.
(7) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Biocidal Products,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
The Slovenian Chemicals Office may extend from 5 March 2026 until 1 September 2026 the action to permit the making available on the market and use of the biocidal product Pyblast EW for the eradication of red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) in the areas of Lopata and Medlog, provided that it ensures that the product is only used under its supervision.
Article 2
This Decision is addressed to the Slovenian Chemicals Office.
Done at Brussels, 24 September 2026. For the Commission Olivér Várhelyi Member of the Commission