Press releases

The EU ministers for agriculture and fisheries will have their informal meeting in Tallinn, 3-5 September, to discuss “Risk management: empowering our farmers with effective tools to manage the risks post-2020”.

A new report by toxicologist Dr Peter Clausing explains how EU authorities, in plain violation of their own rules, disregarded scientific evidence to reach the “predetermined” conclusion that glyphosate does not cause cancer.

Today, on the occasion of the conference "The CAP: have your say!" presenting the results of the consultation on the future of the common agricultural policy (CAP), PAN Europe reiterates its call upon the European Commission to encourage one serious long term objective of the CAP: development and maintenance of low impact farming systems in all parts of the EU.

Tomorrow, the Committee on Environment of the European Parliament will gather to discuss and vote on 3 motions for resolution tailor-made for the pesticide industry to keep bee-killing pesticides in the market

So far more than one million Europeans have signed the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) to ban glyphosate, reform the EU pesticide approval process, and set mandatory targets to reduce pesticide use in the EU. The ECI organisers call on the Commission to respect the signatories’ demands by refusing a new licence for glyphosate.

PAN Europe welcomes today’s successful vote on the Commission Delegated Regulation proposing to ban pesticides in Ecological Focus Areas that took place in the European Parliament’s plenary session.

Today, on the occasion of the international press conference in Paris hosted by Senator Joël Labbé marking the unanimous adoption of the European resolution to ban non-agricultural pesticides across Europe[1] by the French Senate, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe and Générations Futures warmly welcome the resolution and call on the Parliaments of other EU Member States to adopt similar resolutions.

Today, the Agriculture Committee (COMAGRI) has voted in favour of the resolution against the ban of pesticides in ecological focus areas (EFAs).  PAN Europe finds the vote outrageous and shameful which completely ignores the overall purpose of EFAs which is to bring benefits for the environment and, safeguard and improve biodiversity on farms.

The Commission has produced a Staff Working Document on Water and Agriculture (SWD(2017)153 final) which it will present in the informal meeting of Agriculture Ministers in Malta on the 23rd of May. The working document is the outcome of a collaboration between the environment department and the agriculture department of the Commission on the matter.

Some key extracts of the document include:

Extracts from the Staff Working Document SWD (2017) 153 final:

Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe, Inter-Environnement Wallonie and the Velt welcome the proposal of Agriculture Minister Mr Borsus to ban placing of glyphosate-based herbicides on the market for non-professional users by the end of 2017 and restrict their use in private gardens.