EU Commission’s new illegal attempt to weaken the control of endocrine disruptors used in Pesticides – call for action

ClientEarth calls on EU Member States and the European Parliament to veto a European Commission proposal that seeks to change the conditions for using endocrine disruptors (EDCs) in pesticides. The document argues that the Commission is attempting to replace a ban based on 'negligible exposure' with one based on 'negligible risk', which ClientEarth claims is an illegal encroachment on the powers of the EU legislature and is not supported by new scientific evidence.

• The European Commission proposed an amendment to the Pesticides Regulation in July 2018 that would significantly lower the level of protection against endocrine disruptors (EDCs).
• The proposed amendment seeks to change the threshold for allowing EDCs in pesticides from 'negligible exposure' to 'negligible risk', which would allow exposure if a complex evaluation of exposure and hazard shows the risk is negligible.
• ClientEarth asserts that the Commission is acting illegally by attempting to modify essential elements of the Pesticides Regulation via an implementing act, a power reserved for the EU co-legislators.
• The proposal would lower the protection level for pesticide residues in food and feed by replacing the default value of 0.01 mg/kg with a requirement that a Maximum Residue Level (MRL) simply 'can' be set.
• The Commission's claim that new scientific and technical knowledge justifies the amendment is rejected; ClientEarth argues that scientific knowledge since 2009 actually supports stricter controls on EDCs.
• ClientEarth urges Member States to vote against the proposal at the Standing Committee on Plans, Animals, Food and Feed (ScoPAFF) and, if necessary, to veto it during the Council's scrutiny stage.

APA

ClientEarth (2018). EU Commission’s new illegal attempt to weaken the control of endocrine disruptors used in Pesticides – call for action. https://www.clientearth.org/media/gwil5bcp/eu-commissions-new-illegal-attempt-to-weaken-the-control-of-endocrine-disruptors-used-in-pesticides-xxx-call-for-action-ce-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. EU Commission’s new illegal attempt to weaken the control of endocrine disruptors used in Pesticides – call for action. 2018. https://www.clientearth.org/media/gwil5bcp/eu-commissions-new-illegal-attempt-to-weaken-the-control-of-endocrine-disruptors-used-in-pesticides-xxx-call-for-action-ce-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=EU Commission’s new illegal attempt to weaken the control of endocrine disruptors used in Pesticides – call for action |date=October 2018 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/gwil5bcp/eu-commissions-new-illegal-attempt-to-weaken-the-control-of-endocrine-disruptors-used-in-pesticides-xxx-call-for-action-ce-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2018commissions, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{EU Commission’s new illegal attempt to weaken the control of endocrine disruptors used in Pesticides – call for action}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2018}, month = oct, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/gwil5bcp/eu-commissions-new-illegal-attempt-to-weaken-the-control-of-endocrine-disruptors-used-in-pesticides-xxx-call-for-action-ce-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }