Glyphosate, the active ingredient in a controversial pesticide, has been authorised in the EU for another year. This was decided by the European Commission by means of a regulation on Friday 2 December, the institution confirmed on Monday 5 December.
The news was expected after Member States failed to reach the qualified majority required to approve or reject the proposed extension (see EUROPE 13063/22).
“At this stage in the process, given that the delay was not caused by the applicants (of the authorisation: editor’s note) and in the absence of any evidence that the approval criteria laid down in the EU legislation are no longer fulfilled, the Commission was legally obliged to propose a temporary extension of the current approval of glyphosate”, a Commission spokesperson said.
He added: “The Commission confirms that, following its legal obligation, it has adopted on 2 December a one-year extension of the current approval of the active substance”.
PAN Europe (Pesticide Action Network Europe), which warned against a one-year extension of the authorisation when the EFSA conclusions were announced, deplored this decision: “This is sad and unwise. There is overwhelming scientific evidence of the damage done to health, water, soil and biodiversity. May it be the last year”, the NGO said on its Twitter account on Friday. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)