Special committee for the EU pesticide approval process
The special committee for the EU 's authorization procedure for pesticides , English Special Committee on the Union's authorization procedure for pesticides , French Commission spéciale sur la procédure d'autorisation des pesticides par l'Union , abbreviated PEST , was a special committee of the European Parliament . The special committee, which met from March 2018 to January 2019, had the task of comprehensively investigating the EU's approval process for pesticides following a parliamentary resolution on February 6, 2018. The committee published its final report on December 6, 2018, which was adopted by a majority in parliament on January 16, 2019.
The committee was chaired by the French MEP Éric Andrieu ( S&D ), the rapporteur for the special committee was the German MEP Norbert Lins ( EPP ) and the Belgian MEP Bart Staes ( Greens-EFA ).
background
Nine years after the adoption of the Plant Protection Products Regulation (Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009) and after the controversy over the European Commission's extended approval of glyphosate , the European Parliament decided on February 6, 2018 to set up a special committee for the EU's approval procedure for pesticides to use. The aim of the regulation passed in 2009 is to guarantee a high standard of protection for people and the environment, as well as improving agricultural production and ensuring the functioning of the internal market.
Final report
On December 6, 2018, the Special Committee approved its committee report with 23 votes out of 29, after the committee had previously voted on more than 1,000 amendments. The committee was considered to be politically fiercely contested, it would have been divided into two camps: MEPs who believed pesticides were essential for the competitiveness of European industry, and MEPs who wanted to restrict the use of pesticides for the benefit of people and nature.
In the approved report it is pointed out that the Plant Protection Products Ordinance, adopted in 2009, and its implementation must be improved in order for its purpose to be fulfilled. The committee report listed various recommendations to ensure this:
- Improving transparency and preventing conflicts of interest;
- Allocation of sufficient resources and expertise to the public authorities involved;
- no further approval of the use of plant protection products in public spaces;
- Introduce a post-market surveillance system to systematically monitor real impacts, including in the long term;
- Funding public research into the effects of pesticides and alternatives to them;
- Improving the functioning of the zoning.
The Committee also asked the Commission to come forward with a legislative proposal amending the regulation to allow for an accelerated approval process for low-risk biological pesticides and to designate Member States to carry out the risk assessment for new uses (which is currently the case for extensions) .
The European Parliament adopted the report of the Special Committee on January 16, 2019 by 526 votes in favor, 66 against and 72 abstentions.
Members of the Special Committee
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ EU Parliament report reveals the shortfalls of the current pesticide authorization system. December 6, 2018, accessed on September 25, 2019 .
- ^ Gerardo Fortuna: Ideological divisions mar the pesticide special committee's last act. In: euractiv.com. Retrieved September 7, 2018, September 25, 2019 (UK English).
- ↑ a b c Didier Bourguignon: EU approval procedure for pesticides. (pdf) EPRS | European Parliament Research Service, January 2019, accessed 25 September 2019 .
- ↑ Pesticides: Parliament approves proposals for a better EU approval process | News | European Parliament. January 16, 2019, accessed September 25, 2019 .