Gianni Pittella & Kathleen Van Brempt: We want a special parliamentary pesticides committee to avoid Monsanto Papers in the future

This morning the president of the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament requested the setting up of a special committee to shed light on the so-called Monsanto Papers linked to the re-authorisation of glyphosate, and more broadly, on the way the EU authorises plant protection products and biocides. He will look for the support of other political groups.

S&D president Gianni Pittella and S&D vice-president for health and sustainability, Kathleen Van Brempt, said:

“This special committee will analyse whether the positive reports of the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) on glyphosate were influenced by its developer, the Monsanto multinational. But, we must go beyond this case. We want a strong mandate with a broad scope to really make a positive change and avoid new cases.

“We will propose to the other groups to give a broad scope to the committee, in order to scrutinize the way in which all sorts of chemicals (plant protection products and biocides) are authorised and so that the procedures could be improved and updated in view of the growing concerns expressed by many citizens in the EU.  We prefer a special parliamentary committee because an inquiry committee would limit the scope to alleged maladministration of the European institutions and agencies in the case of glyphosate alone. We think that there are serious flaws in the way EU agencies and national bodies in charge of the assessment reports are working in general, and that we need to address that very seriously and thoroughly.

"The final aim is to rewrite the rulebook for the authorisation of these substances in order to improve the transparency of the agencies and enable them to rely on independent expertise and scientific research. We must avoid regulatory capture by industry and invest in science in the service of democracy."

Note to the editors

Unlike the procedure for an inquiry committee, the set-up of a special committee is a prerogative of the EP without any legal constraints imposed by the Treaty. It must be proposed by the Conference of Presidents and then submitted to the plenary for approval.