In the EU, all pesticides sold or used must be registered first before they can be placed on the EU market. The most important pesticide regulation is the Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 (also known as Plant Protection Products Regulation, which lays down both rules for the approval of active substances (including micro-organisms), safeners and synergists, and the authorization of plant protection product formulations.

Before biocidal products can be placed on the EU market, they must receive authorization. The regulation establishes a two-tier system: active substances must first be approved at the EU level, and then individual biocidal products containing these substances require authorization either nationally or through a Union authorization procedure.

In EU, application of technical equivalence (TE) assessment is the easiest way to gain market access for your pesticide technical materials or active substances. If the new source (i.e., your product) has the same or less harmful effects due to its impurities compared to the reference source of an approved technical material, then the new source can be considered (eco)toxicologically equivalent to the reference source. Once the TE application is approved, you can sell your technical materials to all EU Member States.