Today, the European Parliament adopted its own-initiative report on the upcoming EU Water Resilience Strategy, signalling the need for stronger efforts to tackle water pollution, including that from pesticides. While the report falls short on the ambition needed to confront Europe’s water crisis, PAN Europe welcomes key provisions calling for increased pesticide monitoring, better enforcement of the Pesticide Regulation, and financial aid for farmers transitioning to low-input and organic farming practices.
The report also highlights growing concern over PFAS contamination, including trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) - a highly persistent and potentially reprotoxic breakdown product of many PFAS, including PFAS pesticides. TFA has been detected in surface and drinking water all across Europe. Scientific evidence indicates that the use of PFAS pesticides is one of the main sources of water pollution.
PAN Europe urges the Commission to propose a robust strategy to force the implementation of current EU legislation and oblige Member States to truly eliminate the use of pesticides, and support farmers in this transition.
“The Water Resilience Strategy must deliver real change by tackling pollution at its source,” said Manon Rouby, Policy Officer at PAN Europe. “The European Commission must adopt measures that go beyond the Parliament’s recommendations. That means banning PFAS pesticides, establishing pesticide-free zones around water resources across Europe and supporting farmers to eliminate their overall dependency on pesticides.”
“We are facing a pollution crisis, and pesticide-dependent agriculture is one of the main drivers. It is the duty of our legislators to put in place measures to phase out the use of pesticides to ensure clean and safe water for Europeans, ecosystems, and future generations,” she adds.
Read more:
- PAN Europe’s feedback to the call for evidence on Water Resilience Strategy
- PAN Europe’s work on banning PFAS pesticides and TFA
- Statement of support from over 450 scientists calling on the EU to swiftly update its water pollution standards
Contact:
- Manon Rouby, Policy Officer & Legal Adviser, manon [at] pan-europe.info, +336 43 24 33 79
- Dr Angeliki Lysimachou, Head of Science and Policy, angeliki [at] pan-europe.info, +32 496 39 29 30
- Tjerk Dalhuisen, Communications Officer, tjerk [at] pan-europe.info, +31 6 146 991 26
