MEPs from the S&D, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL are not giving up the fight. There is no question of them accepting the decision to renew authorisation for glyphosate for five years which will be formally adopted by the European Commission on Tuesday 12 December. (see EUROPE 11913).
Following a compromise, these three groups are attempting to set up a special commission in Parliament to examine the authorisation process for pesticides in the EU and no longer want a commission of enquiry, as initially sought by the Greens/EFA (see EUROPE 11892).
The demand was formally introduced at the Conference of Presidents on 6 December and “The decision will be taken during the first Conference of Presidents in January. The aim is to restore the credibility of the EU institutions", explained Philippe Lamberts, the President of the Greens/EFA on Thursday 7 December during a press conference in Brussels.
These political groups, however, are also intending to take action to get Parliament to annul the Commission’s implementing regulation, on the basis of the legal study by Professor Olivier de Schutter, the former UN Special Rapporteur 2008-14 on the right to food, which showed that renewing the glyphosate authorisation breached the European treaties. The latter declared, “The implementing regulation is based on the regulation on the conditions for marketing pesticides. Moreover, no pesticide that can have a damaging effect on human health or the environment can be authorised. The doubts are sufficiently significant to demonstrate that the implementing regulation would be illegal".
Moreover, according to the legal arguments announced, the decision violates article 168 § 1 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU which stipulates that, “a high level of protection of human health is ensured in the definition and implementation of all policies and actions by the Union”. It also breaches article 191 § 1, which stipulates that EU policy on the environment should aim to provide, “protection for people's health” and article 191 § 2, which stipulates that, “the policy of the Union in the environmental domain seeks to provide a high level of protection and is based on the precautionary principles, preventive action and the polluter pays principle”.
Philippe Lamberts also emphasises, “a majority is required at the plenary in order to take matters to the European Court of Justice. Nine governments are opposed to the decision. It would be welcome if they were to lodge an appeal".
The MEPs S&D Éric Andrieu (France) and Marc Tarabella (Belgium) have been very active on the dossier and have called on France and Belgium, as well as the member states that voted against the reauthorisation of glyphosate for five years “to assume this position and meet their responsibilities". (Original version friends by Aminata Niang)