Law on sustainable use of pesticides.

This Law hereby regulates all necessary issues as regards the use of pesticides or plant protection products, including all related actions, necessary procedures and administrative rules.
The text is divided into XIII Chapters and 37 articles. The list of Chapters is here as follows: Basic provisions (I); National Action plan (II); Training of professional users, distributors and advisers (III); Conditions for sale of pesticides (IV); Public information (V); Machines for application of pesticides (VI); Professional institutions and their competence (VII); Special procedures, uses and applications of pesticides (VIII); Data collection, documentation, data & information procurement (IX); Fees and expenses (X); Supervision (XI); Penalty measures (XII); Transitional and final provisions (XIII).
Main concepts and topics listed and regulated in this text are: field of application; definitions, terms and basic references; contents and information on the National Action Plan for sustainable use of pesticides; various educational provisions in relation to the pesticides sector and related actions and use; generic and specific conditions for the distribution and sale of pesticides; informing the public and raising awareness as regards the use of pesticides; placing new pesticide application machines on the market; regular inspection of pesticide application machines; professional institutions and their tasks; application of pesticides from air; special measures for the protection of water and drinking water; reducing the use of pesticides or risk in certain areas; application, handling and storage conditions of pesticides and management of their packaging, labelling and residues at pesticide users; integrated plant protection approach issues; risk assessment indicators; data keeping and necessary records, methods and rules for obtaining that data and information from different sources and/or users or handlers; pesticide committee; administrative supervision and inspection; authorities and powers of inspectors; duties of persons subject to inspection supervision; financial costs, fees, taxes and charges; list of all recognized offences and consequential penalty measures.
The main purpose of this Law is to achieve the regime of sustainable use of pesticides, to reduce all kinds of risks and adverse effects possibly deriving form pesticide use in a way that ensures a high level of protection of human and animal health, environmental protection and biodiversity conservation; to introduce the mandatory application of fundamental principles of integrated plant protection for the suppression of harmful plant species and alternative approaches and techniques such as non-chemical plant protection measures, also necessary for the achievement of sustainable and competitive agriculture sector.
The above mentioned National Action Plan for Sustainable Use of Pesticides establishes quantitative assumptions, targets, measures and timeframes aimed at reducing the risks and impacts of pesticides on human health, environment and biodiversity, and promotes development and the introduction of integrated plant protection and alternative methods or plant protection techniques to reduce the effective dependence on the use of traditional or traditionally known pesticides. These goals may include various interest areas, and the whole Plan shall be delivered to the European Commission and to the other EU Member States. Distributors or owners of pesticide registration are obliged to keep records of the sale of pesticides in accordance with the provisions of the article 67 of the Regulation (EC) 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the placing of plant protection products.
For all pesticides placed on the market and those with expired validity or permits, terms of use, deadlines for sale and use, or prohibited pesticides, residues of pesticides in packaging, scratch remnants and empty packagings, this Law states that waste management regulations shall be applied. In accordance with regulations governing the waste management, all distributors must meet general and special conditions for: storage and sale of pesticides; sites, facilities, premises, equipment and storage; sale conditions; treatments of empty packaging and hazardous waste deriving from pesticides.
This Law further implements into the Croatian national legal system the provisions provided by the Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 establishing a framework for Community action to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides.