Following a plenary debate with the European Commission and the EU Council earlier this week, MEPs adopted a topical resolution on Thursday 17 September regarding pollution caused by pharmaceutical residues in the environment; the resolution is of the opinion that EU action in this area is too limited (see EUROPE 12560/8).
The document, which was adopted by 671 votes in favour, 15 against and 10 abstentions, notes that the March 2019 Communication on the EU's Strategic Approach to Pharmaceuticals in the Environment proposes measures that are too ‘soft’.
It notes that the concentration of pharmaceuticals in the environment (soil, sediment, water) has increased over the last 20 years and is likely to continue to do so. It recalls the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's findings that current policy approaches “are inadequate for preserving water quality and the freshwater ecosystems upon which human health depends“.
One of the European Parliament's most specific requests is to include the environmental impact of medicinal products in the assessment of the benefit/risk ratio of medicines for human use, as is already the case for veterinary medicinal products. However, it adds that this step should neither delay nor lead to a refusal of marketing authorisations on the sole grounds of there being a negative environmental impact.
It also calls for labelling on packaging, in the form of pictograms, to provide information to consumers about how to dispose of unused medicines correctly. It also invites the European Commission to present a legislative proposal to update Directive 86/278/EEC on sewage and sludge by the end of 2021. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)