On Thursday 10 October, the European Ombudsman concluded an investigation into the failure of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to take account of the indirect effects of pesticides on biodiversity and ecosystems. The non-governmental organisation PAN Europe referred the matter to the Ombudsman in December 2023.
The Ombudsman considered sufficient the answers provided by EFSA, which explained that the assessment of the environmental risks associated with pesticides - i.e. the “specific protection objectives” - is still being carried out by the European Commission, which is the “risk manager”, to be sufficient.
EFSA needs these specific protection objectives to be defined and approved in order to systematically assess the risks of indirect effects on the environment for each pesticide. However, the European Food Safety Authority assured the Ombudsman that it would inform the European Commission of the delay in this matter.
Although the answers provided by EFSA were sufficiently clear, according to the Ombudsman, it was nevertheless suggested that the organisation should improve the way it responds to concerns of this type. (Original version in French by Florent Servia)