Evaluation of the emergency authorisations granted by Member State Austria for plant protection products containing thiacloprid

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was requested by the European Commission to provide technical assistance in accordance with Article 53(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 to examine the emergency authorisations granted in 2020 by the competent national authority in Austria for plant protection products containing the neonicotinoid active substances (a.s.) clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam or thiacloprid for uses on sugar beet which were restricted when all outdoor uses were prohibited either in May 2018 or in the case of thiacloprid a decision on its non‐renewal of approval coming into force in August 2020. EFSA was asked to assess whether the granting of this emergency authorisation and its wide scope was necessary because of danger which cannot be contained by any other reasonable means. In this context, EFSA collected and evaluated the information in relation to the emergency authorisation for thiacloprid in Austria in line with the EFSA insecticide protocol developed in the framework of a mandate concerning the application of Article 4(7) of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009. No authorisation of thiacloprid was in the end granted in Austria due to the availability of sufficient alternatives comprising different groups of active substances. Therefore, an evaluation of data concerning the necessity of the application of the insecticide a.s. to control a serious danger to plant health which cannot be contained by other available means was not carried out by EFSA.