In Brussels, on Tuesday 10 July, the members of the European Parliament committee on the environment underlined that the health and environmental objectives of the European regulation EC/1107/2009 relating to authorisation for the marketing of plant pharmaceutical products – the “pesticides” regulation – are relevant but that implementation of the regulation leaves to be desired.
This message was formulated with the adoption by 48 votes to 2, with 8 abstentions of the own-initiative report by Pavel Poc (S&D, Czech Republic), based on a highly critical assessment of application of the regulation.
The MEPs note that implementation is not always sufficiently in line with the EU’s policies on farming, health, animal welfare, food safety, water quality, climate change, the sustainable use of pesticides and maximum limits of pesticide residues in human food and animal feed.
They recommend greater transparency at every stage of the authorisation procedure and note that the transparency of activities by the relevant national authorities is also insufficient in many cases.
They nonetheless point out that the European Commission has proposed that the general regulation on food be amended to meet concerns and increase transparency (see EUROPE 11999).
MEPs deplore the improper use of Article 53 on emergency authorisations “by some member states far more than by others”. They also point to the lack of availability of low-risk plant protection products, and to the interest of authorising this kind of non-chemical pesticide, stepping up research and strengthening the expertise of EFSA, and of national authorities for assessing such substances.
“We cannot put people’s health at risk”, stressed Pavel Poc, who is “convinced that further efforts at both the EU and national level are needed to ensure effective implementation of the pesticides regulation”.
It is, however, the opinion of the committee chairperson, Adina-Ioana Valean (EPP, Romania), that “the report is highly controversial. We do not have clear and visible majorities. We are heading for difficulty in plenary”.
Parliament will take a stance at the plenary session on 10-13 September. Also, on 6 December, there will be voting on the recommendations of Parliament's special PEST committee responsible for assessing the procedure for authorising pesticides in the EU (see EUROPE 12051). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)