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MEPs will vote this Wednesday on plans to boost trust in the EU approval procedure for pesticides, by making it more transparent and accountable.
Among many proposals, the report from the committee state that the public should be granted access to the studies used in the procedure to authorise a pesticide, including all the supporting data and information relating to the applications.
MEPs note that concerns have been raised about the right of applicants to choose a particular member state to report on the approval of an active substance to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), as this practice is seen as lacking in transparency and could entail a conflict of interest.
Background
Following on from the controversy surrounding the renewal of glyphosate, on 6 February 2018 the European Parliament set up a special committee on the European Union’s authorisation procedure for pesticides.
The PEST committee’s mandate, as laid down in Parliament’s decision of 6 February 2018, required it to look into the EU’s authorisation procedure for pesticides as a whole.
In September 2018 the co-rapporteurs presented their draft report which included many suggestions on how to improve the procedure, focusing on the issues laid down in the mandate, such as transparency, independence and resources.
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