Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/398 of 18 February 2026 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) No 686/2012 as regards the allocation to Member States, for the purposes of the renewal procedure, of the evaluation of metconazole and quinolin-8-ol

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market and repealing Council Directives 79/117/EEC and 91/414/EEC (1), and in particular Article 19 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 686/2012 (2) allocates the evaluation of active substances to a rapporteur Member State and to a co-rapporteur Member State for the purposes of the renewal procedure. The evaluation of active substances whose approval expires between 31 January 2029 and 1 October 2035 was allocated to a rapporteur Member State and a co-rapporteur Member State by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/543 (3).

(2) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1749 (4) renewed the approval of the active substance metconazole until 31 August 2031 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1152 (5) renewed the approval of the active substance quinolin-8-ol until 30 June 2032. No allocations of rapporteur Member States and co-rapporteur Member States have yet taken place for the evaluation of those two active substances. It is therefore appropriate to proceed with such allocation.

(3) The allocations should ensure a balance between Member States as regards the distribution of the responsibilities and the work.

(4) Implementing Regulation (EU) No 686/2012 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(5) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Part E of the Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 686/2012 is amended as follows:

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 18 February 2026.

For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(1) OJ L 309, 24.11.2009, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2009/1107/oj.

(2) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 686/2012 of 26 July 2012 allocating to Member States, for the purposes of the renewal procedure, the evaluation of the active substances whose approval expires by 31 December 2018 at the latest (OJ L 200, 27.7.2012, p. 5, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2012/686/oj).

(3) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/543 of 9 March 2023 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) No 686/2012 as regards the allocation to Member States, for the purposes of the renewal procedure, of the evaluation of active substances whose approval expires between 31 January 2029 and 1 October 2035 (OJ L 73, 10.3.2023, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2023/543/oj).

(4) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1749 of 24 June 2024 renewing the approval of the active substance metconazole as a candidate for substitution in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and amending Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011 (OJ L, 2024/1749, 25.6.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2024/1749/oj).

(5) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1152 of 11 June 2025 renewing the approval of the active substance quinolin-8-ol as a candidate for substitution in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and amending Commission Implementing Regulations (EU) No 540/2011 and (EU) 2015/408 (OJ L, 2025/1152, 12.6.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2025/1152/oj).