The European Commission is finally presenting a proposal, based on the assessment carried out by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), to halt the authorisation of four pesticides with endocrine disrupting effects and to oppose the authorisation of a fifth one. This proposal has been long overdue, as the implementation of the 2009 regulation on pesticides authorisation has faced significant delays.
The proposal from the European Commission requires the agreement of EU member states authorities. It will be discussed for the first time on 11 and 12 July 2023, with a potential further discussion in October 2023.
EDC-Free Europe has written to member states representatives, appealing for their support and leadership in endorsing the proposals put forward by the European Commission, and to ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment.
The ban of these five harmful substances will be a significant step towards upholding the EU Green Deal commitment to minimising exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals for people and the environment.
Read the letter here.
For additional information regarding the delays in the EU’s action concerning endocrine disrupting pesticides, see:
- A tale of disruption: looking back at one decade of Europe’s (unkept) promises to address endocrine disrupting pesticides, Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) (2021)
- A first ban proposal 14 years after the regulation entered into force, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe
- Endocrine disrupting pesticides – An insidious danger (in German), PAN Germany (2023)
- Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL)’s infographics on pesticides:
