EU Member States’ experts voted last week to renew the authorisation of flumioxazin and cypermethrin, two pesticide active substances with endocrine disrupting properties and toxic to bees, PAN Europe (Pesticide Action Network Europe) made public on Wednesday 10 November
This network of NGOs, which has been campaigning for months for the non-renewal, announced on this occasion its intention to challenge this decision in court.
According to PAN Europe, the 15-year renewal of flumioxazin and the 7-year renewal of cypermethrin, which are extremely toxic to bees, is in total contradiction with the European Green Deal, which has reinforced the precautionary principle, the protection of biodiversity, and the European Commission’s desire to phase out endocrine disruptors (see EUROPE 12815/10).
“PAN Europe is evaluating the possibility to appeal the re-approval of these substances before the Court of Justice of the EU. It is time the European Commission and Member States follow what science and EU law say: no harm to humans should be tolerated when it comes to pesticides’ use!”, comments Salomé Roynel, an activist of this NGO.
The EU’s recently revised Aarhus Regulation, which came into force at the end of October, now allows NGOs to challenge the approval or renewal of a pesticide active substance before the EU Court of Justice. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)