It is officially known as Directive 98/8/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 1998 concerning the placing of biocidal products on the market.
Biocide is defined in Article 2(1)(a) as "active substances and preparations containing one or more active substances, put up in the form in which they are supplied to the user, intended to destroy, deter, render harmless, prevent the action of, or otherwise exert a controlling effect on any harmful organism by chemical or biological means.
The definition and the identification of the biocidal products, including their classifications, are crucial because they form the bases of the guidance documents and these also allow the systematic and easier association with the appropriate governing framework.
[1] A proposal (COM(2009)267) was put forward to repeal and replace the Directive 98/8/EC and it was adopted on June 12, 2009, by the European Commission.
This proposed measure builds on the principles of the older directive, with the aim of improving "the functioning of the internal market in biocidal products while maintaining a high level of environmental and human health protection.