Luxembourg. Successful lawsuit against routine renewal of pesticide approvals.
The Aurelia Foundation, based in Berlin and Jessen, has been working since 2015 to raise awareness in politics and society about the systemic importance of pollinating insects. In November, the foundation achieved a legal victory: together with other non-governmental organizations, it had filed a lawsuit against a controversial practice of the EU Commission; the lawsuit was upheld by the EU court. Until now, the Commission has routinely extended the approval of pesticide active ingredients such as glyphosate after the end of their validity period if the reapproval process is delayed. The consequence: hundreds of pesticides continue to be used even though the risk assessment has not yet been completed. The EU Court has now declared this to be illegal. The ruling obliges the Commission to examine in each individual case whether the industry has contributed to delays in the procedure due to insufficient data. If this is the case, the pesticides in question may no longer be used.
Translation Charles Cross
Image Zephir Brush
