Article 44: Criteria for substance evaluation

1.  In order to ensure a harmonised approach, the Agency shall in cooperation with the Member States develop criteria for prioritising substances with a view to further evaluation. Prioritisation shall be on a risk-based approach. The criteria shall consider:
(a) hazard information, for instance structural similarity of the substance with known substances of concern or with substances which are persistent and liable to bio-accumulate, suggesting that the substance or one or more of its transformation products has properties of concern or is persistent and liable to bio-accumulate;
(b) exposure information;
(c) tonnage, including aggregated tonnage from the registrations submitted by several registrants.
2.  The Agency shall use the criteria in paragraph 1 for the purpose of compiling a draft Community rolling action plan which shall cover a period of three years and shall specify substances to be evaluated each year. Substances shall be included if there are grounds for considering (either on the basis of a dossier evaluation carried out by the Agency or on the basis of any other appropriate source, including information in the registration dossier) that a given substance constitutes a risk to human health or the environment. The Agency shall submit the first draft rolling action plan to the Member States by 1 December 2011. The Agency shall submit draft annual updates to the rolling action plan to the Member States by 28 February each year.
The Agency shall adopt the final Community rolling action plan on the basis of an opinion from the Member State Committee set up under Article 76(1)(e) (hereinafter referred to as the Member State Committee) and shall publish the plan on its website, identifying the Member State who will carry out the evaluation of the substances listed therein as determined according to Article 45.