What we do

EU's Efforts to regulate Endocrine Disruptors (EDCs)

2017-12-18T09:26:32+00:00

Yet another impasse in European Institutions’ efforts to regulate Endocrine Disruptors (EDCs), chemicals that interfere with hormonal systems causing significant negative effects on reproduction, growth and brain development among others.

At the Standing Committee on Plants Animals Food and Feed (SCoPAFF) Pesticides legislation meeting on the 4 July 2017, after years of delays, Member States (MS) representatives voted in favour of the European Commission's proposal on scientific criteria to identify endocrine disruptors for plant protection products. While this outcome was vastly praised by the European Commission as “a great success”, civil society groups, including PAN Europe however expressed regret toward the decision, as according to them such criteria would “fail to provide an adequate level of protection of public health and the environment” as they are too lax and require too high a burden of proof to effectively deem a chemical has endocrine disrupting properties.

Glyphosate re-authorised in the EU for another 5 years: a bittersweet outcome

2017-11-29T09:28:46+00:00

Brussels, November 28^th 2017

On Monday 27^th of November, one and a half years after the authorization of glyphosate - the active substance of the world’s most-used herbicide - was first presented to Member States for renewal at the Standing Committee of Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCoPAFF), the final decision over its re-authorisation in the EU was taken. The original proposal for a 15-year renewal had previously been reduced gradually to 5 years, but without achieving a qualified majority to vote in favour. Hence, the proposal was taken at a higher level. At the appeal committee of EU governments, a qualified majority of Member States finally voted in favour of the European Commission's proposal to renew the glyphosate authorisation for 5 years.

Crunch time: the glyphosate saga isn’t over yet, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel

2017-10-26T06:05:36+00:00

Brussels, 26^th October 2017

Current developments on the possible re-authorisation of glyphosate reveal just how controversial the issue has become. An intrinsically rather technical and scientific issue, it has now passed into the hands of politicians and policymakers, as millions of citizens across Europe have been voicing concerns not only about their health being at stake but also about EU institutions’ risk assessment procedures not appearing to be geared in the interest of consumer protection.

Brussels: citizens tear down giant Glyphosate bottle as regulators discuss its re-approval

2017-07-19T12:32:41+00:00

Brussels, 19th July 2017 – Today, as regulators met at the EU Commission headquarters to discuss the future of Glyphosate – the most used, and possibly most controversial, herbicide active substance in the world – citizens and civil society organizations from all over Europe gathered in the square outside the Berlaymont complex in a symbolic stunt.

Summary on the Toxicity of Glyphosate

2017-07-11T12:14:08+00:00

Brussels, February 2017

PAN Europe summary on the toxicity of Glyphosate

To access full document, click here

EU Member States finally agree on criteria to identify Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs): but this is hardly a success....

2017-07-07T11:59:58+00:00

Brussels, July 4th, 2017

On Tuesday 4^th of July, Member States voted in favour of the Commission’s proposal on EDC criteria, which will be used to identify pesticides that are endocrine disruptors in the future. In the meantime, the Commission has asked the scientific consultation group of EFSA and ECHA to prepare a guidance document that explains in detail how these criteria will be applied. The negligible risk derogation has not been presented yet, although the Commission had reassured the Member States that this will be discussed again in the future.

#StopGlyphosate European Citizens' Initiative

2017-07-07T11:57:38+00:00

The European Citizens’ Initiative to ban Glyphosate kicked off in early February 2017, after mounting public concern about the hazardousness of the world’s most-used weedkiller, Roundup Ready, since the World Health Organization published a study where it linked Glyphosate to cancer in 2015. WeMove.eu - together with PAN-Europe and other civil society organizations, as well as campaigners and activists - launched this ECI to ban Glyphosate, to reform the EU pesticides approval process, and to set mandatory targets to reduce pesticide use in the EU.

Success! #StopGlyphosate ECI reaches 1 million signatures

2017-06-15T09:23:01+00:00

More than one million Europeans stand up against Glyphosate

Fastest-growing European Citizens’ Initiative demonstrates huge societal concern about pesticides

PAN & ENSSER letter on EDCs to EU Ministers

2017-05-19T08:31:41+00:00

June 29th, 2016

On June 29th 2016, PAN Europe and the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Resposibility (ENSSER) sent a letter to the EU Ministries for the Environment, Agriculture and Health

Please click here to view the open letter