A consortium of six non-governmental organizations (NGOs) initiated proceedings against the European Commission's decision to authorize the marketing and use of glyphosate for another 10 years. The NGOs allege flaws in the evaluation process and ask for the decision to be reviewed.
The group of NGOs is made up of ClientEarth (EU), Générations Futures (France), Global 2000 (Austria), PAN Germany, PAN Europe and PAN Netherlands. They submitted a request for an internal review to the Commission, after identifying "several critical flaws in the re-evaluation process". The request marks the first step in the legal battle.
The NGOs argue that the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) have failed to comply with European Union (EU) law and case law on pesticide regulation and the principle of precaution.
In 2023, the European Commission proposed allowing the use of glyphosate for another 10 years. After two rounds of voting among member states, the Commission did not obtain a qualified majority. However, it decided to go ahead and maintain the pesticide permit.
The NGOs sent a "request for internal review" to the Commission, asking for glyphosate to be removed from permissive regulations. The Commission now has 22 weeks to respond. If NGOs disagree with the result, they can challenge the decision before the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Glyphosate is considered essential to many modern agricultural practices. The legal dispute could have significant implications for agriculture and chemical regulation in Europe.
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