Commission 'has to clarify #Monsanto papers before reauthorization of #glyphosate'

For months, Socialists and Democrats have been demanding transparency from the European Commission and its agencies on the management of the glyphosate files. This substance, developed by the multinational Monsanto is used for pesticides, but it can potentially cause cancer, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) panel. 

Despite the concerns of the European Parliament and consumer organizations, the European Commission proposed to renew the authorisation of glyphosate for another ten years. The press has unveiled that Monsanto influenced the positive reports of the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).

On 11 October, at the demand of the S&Ds, the European Parliament will hold a public hearing on the Monsanto papers and glyphosate to try to shed some light. However, the S&D Group wants a deeper investigation on how lobbies influence EU agencies.

Miriam Dalli MEP, S&D spokesperson on health and environment, said:  “We will hear both independent experts and also representatives of EFSA and ECHA. Unfortunately, lack of transparency leads to distrust on the experts’ judgements and that is what happened here.

“The European Commission keeps on insisting that it arrives at its decisions based on two things: scientific evidence and rule of law. But the issue of glyphosate goes further. It is about lack of transparency, questionable scientific reliability and scientific independence. Citizens’ health should always be kept as a priority, and the precautionary principle must prevail, if we want to regain trust.

“Hopefully, we will have more information on which to base our decisions, but all the information on how official reports are done by the agencies must be open and frank and where there are mistakes everyone needs to be upfront about them.”

Eric Andrieu MEP, S&D spokesperson on agriculture, said:  “The recent revelations concerning the copying and pasting of industrial documents present in the EFSA report devalue the voice of public institutions and undermine the whole European project.  “Indeed, the blind confidence of the European Commission and of its president in EFSA and ECHA leads to many questions! The Commission puts its responsibility at stake and fails in its mission as guarantor of the "general interest" of the EU.”

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