Recital 22

(22)Certain substances, mixtures and micro-organisms, referred to as plant biostimulants, are not as such inputs of nutrients, but nevertheless stimulate plants’ natural nutrition processes. Where such products aim solely at improving the plants’ nutrient use efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stress, quality traits or increasing the availability of confined nutrients in the soil or rhizosphere, they are by nature more similar to fertilising products than to most categories of plant protection products. They act in addition to fertilisers, with the aim of optimising the efficiency of those fertilisers and reducing the nutrient application rates. Such products should therefore be eligible for CE marking under this Regulation and excluded from the scope of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council ⁹ . Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 should therefore be amended accordingly.