New information from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) proposes a safer, faster, and more effective alternative to the European Commission’s Omnibus “simplification” proposal, which would grant unlimited approval to pesticides and inevitably lower the level of protection. With a bit more resources, EFSA could address current delays in risk assessments within three years, improve the quality of evaluations, and prevent future backlogs in the EU pesticide approval system.
The Omnibus proposal grants most active substances unlimited approval. Scientists, law experts and NGOs warn against it, as it will significantly lower the current level of protection for human health and the environment.
This deregulation measure is presented by the Commission as a way to simplify and reduce administrative backlogs in the EU approval system yet it is clear it will fall short of achieving this goal. In written answers sent on 8 May to French MP Benoît Biteau and the Croatian MEP Biljana Borzan, EFSA indicated practical alternatives to unlimited approval that would be both safer and more effective than the Commission’s plan. These solutions are not included in the Commission’s proposal.
According to EFSA, recruiting around 50 additional experts and rejecting incomplete industry dossiers would drastically reduce delays in pesticide reassessments, while maintaining high standards of protection for health and the environment. It would have a “transformative effect” on the EU pesticide assessment system. Most notably, EFSA estimates that the current backlog of renewal assessments could be cleared in approximately three years under such an approach, compared to eight years under the Commission’s proposal for unlimited approvals.
“The Commission argues that unlimited pesticide approvals are needed because the system is overloaded. However, there is no evidence that this will quickly remove the current blockages. EFSA’s own assessment shows that there are more effective solutions that do not weaken safeguards for health and the environment,” said Salomé Roynel, Policy Officer at PAN Europe.
“For years, civil society organisations have warned that poor-quality and incomplete industry dossiers are a major driver of delays in pesticide assessments. EFSA’s response now clearly points in the same direction: improving dossier quality and reinforcing scientific capacity is a far more credible solution than weakening EU protection against toxic pesticides,” added Angeliki Lysimachou, Head of Science and Policy at PAN Europe.
PAN Europe calls on the European Parliament and Member States to reject the introduction of unlimited pesticide and biocide approvals in the Omnibus proposal and instead support a strengthening of EFSA’s scientific capacity and role in the EU assessment system. Expansion of EFSA’s responsibilities should be matched by stronger safeguards for the agency’s independence and integrity.
Notes to the editor: Link to EFSA’s communication
Background on the Omnibus proposal, analysis, legal opinion, campaign: For Health, Bees and Farmers | PAN Europe
Contacts: PAN Europe, Salomé Roynel, Policy Officer, salome [at] pan-europe.info, +32 (0) 2 318 62 55
