Briefings

Aquatic ecosystems are home to a wide range of species and are vital for society and economic activities, yet they are under immense pressure from anthropogenic impact. More than 20 years after agreeing on the EU’s main water law, the Water Framework Directive, only one-third of Europe’s surface water bodies are in good chemical status. While the reported status of groundwater is slightly better, large regional differences reflect varied levels of monitoring efforts among Member States.

PAN Europe highlights that EFSA being strictly independent as an EU scientific agency is crucial for decisions on protecting health and the environment from pesticides. Known risks from synthetic pesticides include cancer, endocrine disruption and neurodegenerative diseases, even at low doses. In 2009, the EU enacted Regulation (EC) 1107/2009 to prevent exposure to harmful pesticides and protect the environment.

The EU Pesticide Regulation (1107/2009) is, in theory, one of the strictest regulations in the world. To guarantee a high level of protection, it requires that pesticides and their residues have no harmful effects on human health and animal health and no unacceptable effects on the environment. While many potentially harmful pesticides are still on the EU market, others got banned from the EU food production thanks to this strict regulation’s requirement.

While it is now notorious that PFAS are used in diverse consumer products (such as frying pans, textiles, food packaging etc), it is less well known that PFAS pesticides are intentionally sprayed on food crops. Yet, food is a systematic and direct route of exposure to PFAS pesticides for citizens. 37 pesticide active substances approved in the European Union are PFAS according to EU regulators. Some are persistent themselves and others break down into persistent metabolites, such as trifluoroacetic acid (TFA).

“Plant protection products – data requirements and gradual review of safeners and synergists.”

Summary : According to EU Regulation on Pesticides (Reg. (EC) 1107/2009), pesticides placed on the EU market should have no harmful effects to human and animal health and no unacceptable effects to the environment (Art.1 & 4). This concerns pesticide products and all their ingredients including active substances, safeners, synergists and co-formulants.

The Pesticide Network Europe (PAN Europe) welcomes the European Commission’s long overdue (9 years) draft Regulation defining data requirements for the approval of safeners and synergists and establishing a work programme for the gradual review of safeners and synergists in the EU market. This is crucial to eliminate the discrepancies in methodologies and level of protection that exist between Member States when assessing safeners and synergists.

Glyphosate is the active substance of the most used pesticide (herbicide) products globally: glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs). They are used widely to kill plants, leading to their widespread presence in our ecosystems, surroundings and bodies.

The Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe supports the European Commission's intention to present legislative measures aimed at prohibiting the production and export of chemicals that have been banned in the European Union due to their hazardous properties. This is in line with its commitment under the European Green Deal and specifically the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability, towards a toxic free environment, where Europe shows global leadership in the protection from hazardous chemicals and promotion of sustainable practices. 

We, the signatories of this statement, welcome the European Commission’s proposal for a Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience (Soil Monitoring Law). Unfortunately, the proposal in its current form will not enable the achievement of healthy soils in the EU. The change of the name of the legislation, which was originally planned to be called ‘Soil Health Law’, is symbolic of its lack of ambition and its shift away from soil health towards largely soil monitoring.

As required by Regulation (EC) 1107/2009: 

1. Apply the precautionary principle and ensure a high level of protection of human health, animal health and the environment in line with the provisions of the EU law. Member States and the European Commission shall also take preventative measures, when the first evidence of potential harm appears. More specifically:

2. Strictly apply the hazard-based approach and the approval criteria, including by: