On Wednesday 2 December, the European Ombudsman published her final decision criticising the European Commission’s methods for approving active substances used in pesticides.
At issue: the routine use of a confirmatory data procedure (CDP procedure) which should only be used exceptionally under Regulation 1107/109 and under which the Commission unduly authorises the placing on the market of pesticides despite a lack of data on the safety of these substances identified by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) (see EUROPE 11763/16).
The Ombudsman suggests that the European Commission should not authorise an active substance if EFSA has not been able to conclude that its use is safe or if it has identified a critical area of concern.
“The Commission should use the confirmatory data procedure with particular caution and restraint, with due regard to the precautionary principle. It should be particularly mindful of cases in which applicants are unlikely to be in a position to submit confirmatory data for a an extended period of time, for example due to the absence of guidance documents”.
The European Ombudsman also calls for more transparency on decisions and clarification on how the Commission reaches its conclusions on safe use when no data are available.
It also recalls “the commitment by the von der Leyen Commission to take action to reduce by 50% the overall use of--and risk from--chemical pesticides by 2030”.
The NGO PAN Europe is thrilled. PAN Europe (Pesticide Action Network), which initiated the complaint in 2013, welcomed “this long-awaited decision”.
“PAN Europe demands the European Commission get back on track with EU pesticide laws, and make up for the lost time by embracing the ‘Farm to Fork’ objective aimed at reducing by 50% the use of pesticides”, commented Hans Muilerman, Chemicals Coordinator for the NGO.
See the Ombudsman’s decision: https://bit.ly/2Jwtl63 (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)