In an article published on March 1, 2017 by regulatory news provider Chemical Watch, editor Vanessa Zainzinger reports on the latest meeting of the European Commission’s (EC) Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (PAFF) to discuss the criteria to identify endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The meeting took place on February 28, 2017 and focused on the latest version of the EC’s draft EDC criteria that was published beginning of February 2017 (FPF reported). Zainzinger informs that the EC did not ask the PAFF Committee to vote on the proposed EDC criteria, but rather “took stock of the progress made.” She further notes that according to provisional positions submitted by PAFF Committee members, only eleven Member States (MS) would have voted in favor of the EC’s proposal (e.g. Germany, the Netherlands, Spain), eight MS were against the proposal (e.g. Denmark, France, Sweden), and nine MS would have abstained from a vote (e.g. Belgium, UK). Topics of disagreement included, among others, a draft legal act concerning a derogation to the Plant Protection Products Regulation (PPPR): The wording would be changed from “negligible exposure” to “negligible risk” regarding exceptions for active substances with endocrine disrupting properties.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) Pan Europe emphasized that this derogation would “effectively ensure that no identified endocrine disrupting pesticides will be banned.” Pelle Moos, chemicals policy officer at the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), stated that “an EU definition needs to capture all chemicals that may disrupt the hormonal system – those chemicals we know are endocrine disruptors and those we suspect.” Also the French environment minister Ségolène Royal expressed discontent with the criteria, requesting that suspected EDCs and the plausibility of their health effects are taken into account in the EC’s proposal.
No date for further discussion on the EDC criteria has been scheduled yet, Zainzinger reports.
Read more
Vanessa Zainzinger (March 1, 2017). “European Commission stalls again on EDC criteria vote.” Chemical Watch
Lama Hodeib (March 1, 2017). “EU fails again to agree way to ban hormone disruptors in pesticides.” The Connexion
Simon Marks, Carmen Paun and Giulia Paravicini (February 28, 2017). “Commission decides not to vote on endocrine disruptor criteria.” Politico Pro
