Strasbourg, France
September 12, 2007
The Environment Committee of the
European Parliament
today approved with amendments a draft regulation intended to
update existing EU law on the authorisation of new pesticide
products. The legislation's purpose is to improve protection of
health and the environment, support farming, reduce animal
testing and boost competition among pesticide manufacturers.
MEPs say no to a three-zone EU
The regulation aims to revise the criteria and procedures for
approving pesticides. A positive list of "active substances"
(the key ingredients of pesticides) would be drawn up at EU
level and new pesticide products would then be authorised at
national level.
A key point of the Commission text was to divide the EU into
three geographical zones (north, centre and south): any
pesticide authorised by one Member State within a zone would be
approved by the other countries in that zone under the principle
of mutual recognition. However, the Environment Committee voted
against this system, preferring a single EU-wide system of
mutual recognition within which Member States would reserve the
right to confirm, reject or restrict the approval depending on
their national circumstances.
Harmful substances to be banned
The committee backed the Commission's plan to ban substances
that are genotoxic, carcinogenic, toxic to reproduction or
endocrine disrupting, but further restricted even the minor
exceptions the Commission would allow. It also added substances
with hormonal, neurotoxic or immunotoxic effects to the banned
category and called for special account to be taken of
vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, foetuses and children.
Choosing the safer alternative
MEPs essentially backed the "substitution principle" contained
in the draft regulation, under which new products must not be
approved so easily if they contain substances that could be
substituted by others that are "significantly safer for human or
animal health or the environment". Member States must check on
this by making "comparative assessments" of substances, weighing
up the risks and benefits. The committee also tightened up the
proposed rules on animal testing, saying this should only be
used "as a last resort".
A "win-win situation", says rapporteur
The Environment Committee's first-reading report, drafted by
Hiltrud Breyer (Greens/EFA, DE), was adopted by 43 votes to 12
with 3 abstentions. After the vote Mrs Breyer said "This vote
has created a win-win situation: reducing risk for consumers,
users and the environment, while at the same time stimulating
innovation in the chemical industry". However, Erna
Hennicot-Schoepges (EPP-ED, LU), speaking on behalf of her
group, said negotiations would be needed before the plenary vote
to thrash out a number of points.
Pesticides package
This regulation is part of a "pesticides package" designed to
give the EU up-to-date rules governing the whole life-cycle of
pesticides, which consists of three phases: the placing on the
market of new pesticides (the Breyer report); the day-to-day use
of pesticides; and the end-of-life (or "waste") phase. The
Environment Committee adopted two reports on the "use" phase in
June and the whole package comes before Parliament's plenary in
late October.
Procedure: Co-decision, 1st reading. Plenary vote: October II,
Strasbourg.
11/09/2007
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
In the chair : Miroslav OUZKÝ (EPP-ED, CZ) |
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