1.Within three months of the electronic publication of the information referred to in Article 11(2), a producer, formulator, association or other person may inform the Commission of their intention to take over the role of participant as regards the existing active substance/product type combination.
Within the time period referred to in the first subparagraph, a Member State may also indicate to the Commission an interest in taking over the role of participant in order to support the inclusion in Annex I, IA or IB to Directive 98/8/EC of the existing active substance/product type combination, where there are uses which the Member State considers essential, in particular for the protection of human health, animal health or the environment.
2.The person or Member State wishing to take over the role of the participant who has withdrawn shall, within three months of informing the Commission of their intention, provide evidence to it that work to compile a complete dossier has been commissioned.
3.On the basis of the evidence referred to in paragraph 2, the Commission shall decide whether or not to allow the interested person or Member State to take over the role of participant.
Where the Commission allows the interested person or Member State to take over the role of participant, it may decide to extend, if necessary, the relevant period for the submission of a complete dossier specified in Article 9.
4.The taking over of the role of participant for a given existing active substance/product type combination may be allowed only once.
5.Where the Commission receives no response pursuant to paragraph 1, it shall take a decision not to include the existing active substance in Annex I, IA or IB to Directive 98/8/EC within the framework of the review programme for the product type(s) concerned.