After the representatives of the institutions and European agencies EFSA and ECHA, it is now the turn of the representatives from member states. The latter will be heard during the afternoon of Thursday 28 June (2.00pm to 5.30pm) by the European Parliament’s special PEST committee responsible for shedding light on the procedure for authorising pesticides in the EU, in the wake of the controversial renewal of the glyphosate licence. “This is a new round of discussions” said Eric Andrieu (S&D, France), who chairs the fact-finding committee.
The following will be invited to answer MEPs’ questions: Maarten Trybou, who heads the pesticides department at the Belgian Ministry of health, food chain, safety and the environment; José Maria Cobos Suarez, the Spanish minister for agriculture, fisheries, food and the environment; and Paulina Gabor, the chief executive for the Romanian phytosanitary authority. Robin Mesnage, a researcher at King’s College London, and Pekka Pesonen, the COPA-COGECA secretary general, will also be heard.
The draft report by the two co-rapporteurs, Norbert Lins (EPP, Germany) and Bart Staes (Greens/EFA, Belgium), is expected for 18 September. The vote will be held on 6 December in committee and in January/February in the European Parliament plenary session with recommendations from the PEST committee. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)