European Parliament: objection against criteria for hormone-altering chemicals

The European Parliament in Strasbourg has objected the Commission's criteria for EDCs (Photo © Pixabay)

On Wednesday, the European Parliament has entered an objection against the criteria for defining hormone-altering agents (endocrine disruptors) proposed by the European Commission. Thus, the delegates now have been following an objection proposed by the Greens/EFA group.

On the 4th of July, the majority of the EU member states had approved the European Commission’s criteria for endocrine disruptors (EDCs). These criteria follow a hazard-based approach. Hence, EDCs should be identified within the subject of pesticides by scientific criteria based on definitions by the WHO. Agents, being identified as endocrine disruptors, shouldn’t get the approval, unless there is a negligible exposition. The Greens have raised an objection against the commission’s proposal, as the European Commission exceeded its implementing acts in one paragraph.
 
In line with the latest developments concerning the criteria for EDCs, Martin Häusling, agro-political speaker of the Greens and member of the Ecology Committee states:

„This vote is a victory for democracy, environment and the population. Thereby, the European Parliament is outvoting the European Commission’s approach to change the legislation of pesticides through the back door. The highly problematic and hormone-disrupting agents have been banned with certain exceptions for good reasons. What the European Commission was planning, was a clear abuse of power. The European Parliament has followed its responsibility to protect the environment as well as democracy and has cut the European Commission down to size.”