ClientEarth’s lawyers are taking the European Commission to court over the lack of transparency in the EU’s pesticide authorisation process, the environmental NGO announced, on Thursday 30 September, the day after it filed a complaint with the General Court of the EU.
ClientEarth is challenging the Commission’s refusal to disclose the positions of Member States on the possible renewal of the authorisation of cypermethrin, which is used for agricultural purposes but is known to be toxic to bees, fish and aquatic insects.
The NGO is criticising the secrecy of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCoPAFF), where EU Member States decide whether to approve dangerous pesticides behind closed doors.
The only brief insights into the discussions reveal that some countries have radically changed their mind in 2020. The European Commission’s refusal to provide ClientEarth with the position of Member States on this issue was confirmed to the NGO in July.
“We have the right to know which Member States are now pushing to renew the authorisation for a pesticide which is proven to be highly toxic for the environment, and why they have taken that position. We believe that the EU’s transparency rules legally oblige the Commission to make this information available to all”, commented the ClientEarth’s environmental democracy lawyer, Anne Friel, in a statement. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)