2023-09-20 14:51:02
The European Commission wants to extend the approval of the controversial herbicide glyphosate for another ten years until December 2033. The authority has just sent a corresponding proposal to the Member States. The responsible technical committee is scheduled to discuss the matter for the first time on Friday, and a decision should be made in November if possible. The Commission is thus embarking on a confrontation course with the Federal Government. In the coalition agreement, they agreed to remove glyphosate from the market by the end of the year. However, EU law does not allow national solo efforts on this issue. Germany would have to organize a corresponding majority for this.
The hurdles for this are high. Glyphosate approval does not go through a normal legislative process. Committees made up of experts from the Member States are responsible for approval. There, a qualified majority is required against the Commission’s proposal in order to reject it, i.e. at least 55 percent of the states, which represent at least 65 percent of the EU population, must be against it. If only a simple majority is against it, the commission can appeal to the mediation committee – thereby clearing the way for approval. According to senior EU officials, only one state has so far signaled resistance. Several others have already spoken out in favor of longer approval. The European Parliament has no say at all.
Looking to America
The current approval expires on December 15th. If there is no decision by then, the approval should initially only be extended for one year in order to gain time. If the Commission gets its way, the federal government cannot unilaterally ban the use of glyphosate in Germany. The national ban on glyphosate was overturned by the courts in Luxembourg in the spring. The reason: As long as the active ingredient is approved throughout the EU, a special national route is unfounded. In Germany, the ban on glypohsate from 2024 is already enshrined in law. However, the prerequisite for this is a ban in the EU. However, the federal government can restrict the application under certain conditions in justified cases.
The chairman of the EU Agriculture Committee, Norbert Lins (CDU), welcomed the proposal for further approval. “I welcome the fact that the European Commission is taking EFSA’s assessment seriously and wants to approve glyphosate for another ten years. This is an important step for agriculture because European farmers need planning certainty,” he said.
The Green MEP, Jutta Paulus, strongly criticized the proposal. “The Commission is putting the health of millions of citizens at risk for another ten years.” The longer approval is in stark contrast to the EU’s precautionary principle, which is intended to protect consumers. “While victims of the toxic substance in the USA are successfully suing Bayer-Monsanto, Europe is threatening to put corporate interests above the health of people and nature,” Paulus continued. The World Health Organization (WHO) also suspects glyphosate of being carcinogenic.
Published/Updated: Recommendations: 91 Oliver Bock Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 2 Anne Kokenbrink Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 14
The European Commission rejected this. She explained that hardly any substance in the world has been as well studied as glyphosate. There are many independent studies on this. If there had been doubts about safety, the commission would not have proposed an extension, the senior official said. The basis for the EU Commission’s decision is the assessment of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). At the beginning of July, they announced that the use of glyphosate did not pose any unacceptable risks. According to EFSA, the assessment is based on the evaluation of “many thousands of studies and scientific articles”. The senior official stressed that there were no dissenting minority opinions in EFSA’s opinion.
Biodiversity data gaps
The Commission is accommodating critics by setting specific requirements for the approval of specific “glyphosate-based products” for which the national authorities are responsible. In addition, applicants should provide data on impacts on biodiversity after three years. The EFSA had admitted data gaps with a view to species protection. The fact that she did not propose an extension of 15 years as usual, but rather for ten years, can also be seen as a concession.
Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) was critical of further approval). “As long as it cannot be ruled out that glyphosate harms biodiversity, the approval in the EU should expire,” Özdemir told the FAZ. A diverse and intact flora and fauna is the prerequisite for secure harvests today and in ten, 20 or 50 years. “We do not decide alone whether glyphosate is to be taken off the market. That’s why we’re in intensive discussions with our partners in the EU about this.”
Ecological associations expressed similar concerns about species protection. The German Farmers’ Association, however, welcomes the Commission’s proposal and refers to the scientific risk assessment. There is currently no effective, equivalent alternative to the weed killer.
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