Speaker profile
Erik van de Plassche
Erik graduated as an ecotoxicologist in 1986 at the Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht. Thereafter, he worked for 18 years in the field of chemical risk assessment and management for governmental organisations, like the National Insitute of Public Health (RIVM), the OECD and for consultancies involved in industrial chemicals, biocides and plant protection products as well as methodological development.
In 2004 Erik moved to the European Chemicals Bureau (ECB) in Ispra, Italy to assist the European Commission in their preparatory activities for REACH. At the same time he started working on biocides at the ECB: first by chairing – parts of – the Technical Meetings, later by being responsible for the whole sector. In the second half of 2010 he started working at the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in Helsinki to prepare for the tasks under the Biocidal Products Directive (BPD) to be moved from the ECB to the Agency under the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR). In September 2012 he became chair of the Biocidal Products Committee (BPC). After setting up this scientific committee he chaired 47 meetings adopting almost 400 opinions under all processes within the remit of the BPC.
Erik left ECHA in July 2023 and started a consultancy in the field of biocides, specialised in the Biocidal Products Regulation