The webinar “No to pesticides in our playgrounds, schools and public areas”, organized jointly by PAN Europe (Pesticide Action Network), EDC-Free Europe, Child Right International network (CRIN) and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) Sarah Wiener (Greens), Jytte Guteland (Social Democrats) and Martin Hojsik (Renew Europe) scheduled for June 30th, 2 pm will be a multi-faceted roundtable discussion.
The Webinar alerts you to the perils of pesticide exposure in public areas and the benefits of a pesticide-free future for EU citizens
Watch the video recording here:
In the webinar, we will be presenting the results of testing campaigns that give clear evidence of the recurrent presence of pesticides in public areas, such as children playgrounds where vulnerable people like children or pregnant women are present. Some countries and local authorities in the EU are taking initiatives to reduce this exposure to pesticides but the problem needs to be addressed in forthcoming revisions of EU legislation.
In this roundtable we will be discussing the opportunities arising with the new EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and how to use the forthcoming revision of the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive and commitments of the Farm to Fork Strategy to ensure effective protection against exposure to toxic pesticides.
National and local strategies to protect vulnerable people from pesticides in public areas will be provided by representatives of Sweden and the city of Bratislava while the former UN special rapporteur on toxics and human rights will present a global perspective on this issue.
François Veillerette (Générations Futures and President of PAN Europe), Chair of the meeting, says “it is crucial that the revision of the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive does not only call for a ban on all pesticides for use in public areas, but goes beyond looking at establishment of at least 150 meter buffer strips to protect people living next to agricultural fields”.
The mantel lies with Iris Abraham to showcase the European initiatives aimed at the protection of children such as the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child. She is also expected to talk about how the EU expects to revise its legislation in the coming years while supporting the implementation of the European Green Deal and the United Nations Sustainable Development objectives.
Today the European Commission is expected to publish its communication on long term vision for rural areas [1]. PAN Europe hopes that the pesticide exposure should be at the core of this approach. As mentioned in a Eurobarometer [2] released on 28 June, a large majority of European citizens are concerned about pesticide exposure in public areas. Following the COVID crisis, more people will consider going to live in rural areas. Therefore, it is imperative that all EU legislations zoom in on reducing the exposure to pesticides in rural areas to keep the living quality high for citizens.
The webinar will have the following presentations:
- Study: “Children playground contaminated with pesticides all year round in Southern Tyrol", Mr. Koen Hertoge, PAN Europe
- Pesticides & vulnerable groups exposure, a breach of children's rights to a safe & healthy environment, Mr. Baskut Tuncak former UN Special Rapporteur on toxics & human rights
- European Commission: EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child: health & chemical exposure - Mrs Iris Abraham, Cabinet of Mrs. Dubravka Šuica - Vice-President for Demography and Democracy
- Sweden: use of plant protection products banned in sensitive areas, Mr. Peter Bergkvist, KEMI, Swedish Chemicals Agency
- Mr. Andrej Kovarik – Plenipotentiary for Greenery and the Environment, City of Bratislava
You can register for the webinar here.
Check stories from victims of pesticides here:
- Europe: https://www.pan-europe.info/campaigns/voices-pesticides
- France: https://victimes-pesticides.fr
[1]https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/new-push-europea...
[2]https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/long-term-vision-rural-areas-commission-p...
