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EU Parliament sets up special committee on pesticide authorisation process

The European Parliament's committee on pesticides (PEST) held its inaugural meeting on Monday (12 March) with a mission to shed light on the controversial EU approval procedure - even though its actual mandate will not assure a legislative follow-up.

PEST is parliament's reply to the concerns raised by some one million European citizens, plus MEPs and NGOs, around the EU's renewal of glyphosate – used in Monsanto's Roundup.

The product was granted a five-year renewal in December despite doubts about its "probable cancerogenic" nature raised by the International Agency for Research on Cancer - but overruled by two EU agencies.

"We have a duty to succeed, restoring the confidence of the citizens in the European process of approval of the pesticides," said S&D MEP Eric Andrieu, the committee chair.

Citizens have to be sure "that the food they eat, the air they breathe or the water they drink are free of molecules that are dangerous to their health," Andrieu told EUobserver.

"It's good to see that the parliament is taking the issue of pesticides, and the danger to health and the environment, seriously," Franziska Achterberg from Greenpeace told this website.

After nine months work, the committee will present a report to the parliament of recommended measures to be taken - although they will only be recommendations, with no legal power.

According to its mandate, PEST will assess the "potential failures in the scientific evaluation" of the approval of active substances by relevant EU agencies and whether these agencies "are adequately staffed and financed" to conduct independent research.

The committee will also check compliance by the European Commission with EU law and assess "possible conflicts of interest at all levels of the approval procedure."

At PEST's first meeting on Monday, Andrieu - who, alongside S&D Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella called for the establishment of the committee - was appointed as PEST's chair.

ECR Polish MEP Bolesław Piecha, Belgian ALDE MEP Frederique Ries and Czech GUE/NGL MEP Katerina Konecna were appointed vice-chairs, while EPP MEP Norbert Lins and Green/ALE MEP Bart Staes became co-rapporteurs.

A calendar of works is expected to be decided on 22 March, while the first working meeting is scheduled for 12 April.