We gathered in front of the European Commission building in Brussels with representatives of environmental and international NGOs, to demand urgent action to stop the export of EU banned pesticides and to save biodiversity.
During this event of the Pesticide Action Week, we combined two urgent needs to address pesticide-related issues. We asked to:
1. End double standards: Stop the export of pesticides banned in the EU
Hazardous pesticides banned in Europe continue to be exported to other countries, where they cause severe environmental and health harm. A Coalition of organisations demands an immediate stop to the production, sales, and export of these chemicals, ensuring zero tolerance for their presence in imported food.
MEP Majdouline Sbai from the European Parliament joined us for this protest.
An African delegation from Burkina Faso and Uganda came to Brussels together with the Belgian organisation Broederlijk Delen to advocate for the ban on the export of hazardous pesticides by European institutions.
2. Protect essential bugs and biodiversity
Populations and diversity of insects and other arthropods are collapsing across Europe. Pesticides are a major cause. For over 20 years, the EU has failed to protect them, using an industry-written flawed guideline to authorise pesticides. Now, the EU is finally revising this document, but the EFSA hand-picked panel preparing this seems to lack the independence and expertise to deliver real reform. This raises serious doubts about whether the revision will bring meaningful change. There is a risk they might simply rubber-stamp EFSA’s flawed preparatory work, which is riddled with unscientific and industry-friendly concepts of ecosystem services and disservices.
We presented our new manifesto explaining the problem and highlighting concrete recommendations for a successful revision.
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