European Parliament (EP) negotiators struck a compromise with Council representatives late on Wednesday night (December 17) on the final shape of new European Union pesticide legislation.
Wednesday night’s compromise dealt with two crucial pieces of legislation: the regulation on the production and licensing of pesticides and the directive on the sustainable use of pesticides.
Banning toxic chemicals
The key points of the regulation on the production and licensing of pesticides as they now stand are:
The new legislation will only gradually supersede existing EU law. Pesticides which can be placed on the market under current legislation will remain available until their existing authorisation expires. Thus, says the EP, there will be no sudden large-scale withdrawal of products from the market.
Cutting the amount of pesticides used
The main points of the directive on the sustainable use of pesticides, as agreed, are:
The full Parliament will vote on the second-reading deal in Strasbourg in January and it must then be formally endorsed by the full Council.
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