Evaluation of the emergency authorisations granted by Member State Bulgaria for plant protection products containing clothianidin, imidacloprid or thiamethoxam

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was requested by the European Commission to provide technical assistance in accordance with Article 53(2) of Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009 to examine the emergency authorisations granted in 2017 by the competent national authority in Bulgaria for plant protection products containing the neonicotinoid active substances clothianidin, imidacloprid or thiamethoxam for uses in maize and sunflower that were restricted in accordance with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 485/2013. In particular, EFSA was asked to assess whether the granting of these emergency authorisations and their wide scope were necessary because of danger that cannot be contained by any other reasonable means. In performing this exercise, EFSA should make use of the EFSA protocol for the evaluation of data on the necessity of the application of insecticide active substances to control a serious danger to plant health that cannot be contained by other available means, including non-chemical methods, developed in the framework of a mandate concerning the application of Article 4(7) of Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009. The information provided by Bulgaria was not in line with the requested EFSA methodology. Therefore EFSA cannot assess whether the granting of the emergency authorisations were scientifically supported or not and if they were necessary because of danger that could not be contained by any other reasonable means.