Brussels, 30/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - To preserve the environment and citizens' health in the Union, the European Commission is convinced, with proof in support, of the need to step up the safety assessment of the pesticide products. To that end, it intends to prepare a new proposal in view of amending current Community legislation. An interim report on the state of progress of assessment, published under Directive 91/414/EEC relating to the authorisation, use and control of pesticides (insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, etc.), in fact reveals substantial delays in the assessment of the required evaluation, and identifies paths to remedy this. The Commission will use the conclusions of this report to present its new legislative proposals as soon as Parliament and the Council have voted.
Directive 9/EEC establishes an harmonised procedure for the authorisation of the placing on the market of pesticides, by which Member States have the right to authorise, on their own territory, products containing such substances, once the substances have received national approval, at the end of a risk-assessment procedure Under his directive, over 800 substances already legally on the market in different Member States must, to remain so, be the subject of a complementary assessment by July 2003, or wait for a decision concerning them be taken at Community level to be authorised to be used longer, or on the contrary banned. Yet in July 2001 (date at which the interim report was published on progress so far), hardly half of these 800 substances had been assessed. At this rate, it is likely that the exercise will not be completed for 2003. The possibility of extending this deadline - option provided for by the directive - is looming. Whatever, they will have to work harder.
The report therefore suggests improving the examination and assessment procedure of the data presented by producers, shorten the deadlines and make better use of information technology and increase personnel resources allocated to assessment within the Commission and the future food authority that, from January 2002, will take over the tasks currently performed by the Union's Scientific Committees.
In a press release, David Byrne, European Commissioner for Consumer Protection and Health, declares: ""The report gives a complete overview of the hugely ambitious exercise of pesticides evaluation that was started in 1991, and its results so far. All this work is intended to make sure that the active substances used in pesticides do not present a risk or harm to health and the environment. It is therefore of the utmost importance that it is done thoroughly, even if that means it takes more time than originally envisaged. The reality is that the resources necessary to carry out this exercise were not fully appreciated when the key legislation was adopted in 1991. I am keen to have the views of the European Parliament and the Council on this report before proposing further decisions, as we need to carefully weigh the potential impacts of extending, or not, the original deadline of 2003 for the completion of the evaluation process. It is undeniable that we have to improve our working methods. I expect a great deal, here, from the future food authority".
The report in full may be consulted on the Internet address: http: //europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/ph ps/pro/index.en.htm