Speakers

Dr. Klaus Berend joined the European Commission in 1994 and is currently Head of Unit in the European Commission's Directorate-General Health and Food Safety, responsible for the implementation of the Pesticides and Biocides legislation.

Before, he was Head of Unit in the European Commission’s Directorate-General Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship & SMEs, in charge of the implementation of the EU Regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH).

Previously, he was Head of Unit in DG Enterprise & Industry, responsible for EU legislation on the Classification, Labelling and Packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP), Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), detergents, fertilisers, drug precursors, explosives and pyrotechnic articles. The Unit also dealt with the sustainability and competitiveness of the chemicals industry in the European Union.

Earlier, he was Deputy Head of Unit in the Commission’s Directorate General for Environment, Unit Biotechnology & Pesticides, where he co-ordinated the work concerning biocides, plant protection products and the Community’s participation in the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent (PIC).

He studied chemistry at the universities of Heidelberg, Freiburg, and Stanford, and obtained a PhD in polymer chemistry from the University of Freiburg (Germany).