Regulatory Update 2024 for Agrochemicals

Pavel Glukhov is a founder & partner of EU Focus Group. Pavel has over 15 years of experience in EU regulations and advocacy. Throughout his career, Pavel has been advising clients from Europe, US and Asia on environmental, chemical, health & agrifood legislations, with particular focus on pesticides, REACH/CLP, biocides, OELs, fertilisers, pharmaceuticals & cosmetics. In addition to leading client work at EU Focus Group, he develops relations with business schools and other learning organizations in Europe. With a triangular educational background in politics, business, and law, Pavel provides a valuable analytical breadth to the interlinkages between EU policies, companies’ immediate business impacts and their short- and long-term corporate strategies.

Natalie Konings is a Counsel in the Brussels office of Fieldfisher. She practices in highly regulated fields, in the areas of European Union and Belgian environmental and regulatory laws, with a specific focus on chemicals (REACH, Biocides and plant protection products). She is involved in the establishment and running of Task Forces and Consortia related to REACH and the Biocidal Products Regulation, and provides legal support, including data sharing negotiations with third parties. Her expertise also covers life sciences and covers all aspects from contractual law, data protection, environmental liability, imports and distribution. She is also often involved in litigation and represents clients in front of arbitration instances.

Claudio Mereu is a Partner in the Brussels office of Fieldfisher, where he heads the Competition, Regulatory and Trade Group. For over 20 years Claudio has focused on EU Regulatory with an emphasis on the chemicals (REACH), pesticides, biocides and life sciences industry sectors, as well as other regulated industries including medical devices, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, toys, electrical and electronic equipment and fuel additives. He handles product approval processes in the EU, related litigation before European courts, national courts and WTO panels, and counsels companies on a wide range of business law and antitrust matters relating to their international agreements and commercial presence in Europe. His expertise covers all aspects of product regulations and restrictions (including notification, data protection, mutual recognition, classification & labelling, marketing and use restrictions, parallel imports, environmental liability, product recalls and data compensation negotiations, amongst others). He represents chemical companies before the European Institutions, Member State authorities, Scientific Committees, and the European Courts.

Adrián Parra García is an Associate at the EU Regulatory, Competition and Trade Department of Fieldfisher Belgium. He focuses his legal practice on regulatory law with special emphasis on chemicals, agrochemicals and biological alternatives for agriculture. Adrián is the focal point for cases in Spain and has relevant experience in approval and registration procedures of plant protection products, fertilisers, biostimulants and means of biocontrol, amongst others. He has advised clients active in variety of regulated sectors and defended client's interests before public authorities at both EU and national level. At national level, he participated in numerous administrative and judicial procedures before regulatory authorities and the Courts of Spain. Prior to joining Fieldfisher, he worked at the legal department of the IT company IBM.

Matthias Weidenauer is an Analytical Chemist and was the Chair of the European Union Copper Task Force until 2023. He has been working as a Business Development Manager at Battelle since 2008 with responsibility for business development of Battelle’s Agribusiness in Europe and management of several key customers. End of January he officially retired but is still a consultant to Battelle and the EUCuTF.