Here is presented a consensus document of 24 NGO, legal, scientific and regulatory experts working in the fields of pesticides, risk assessment, and human and environmental health, identifying a range of shortfalls in the safety assessment of pesticides in Europe, potentially leading to unsafe use of such substances in open spaces. The analysis also proposes 18 concrete solutions on how to improve the risk assessment and risk management of pesticides in Europe, in line with the mandatory requirements of EU law. The White Paper is intended to provide expert input into the ongoing evaluation of the EU legislation on Pesticides, including REFIT, the General Food Law, and the PEST Committee), and provide support for implementation of a higher level of protection from pesticides in Europe. It also ultimately aims at promoting the development and implementation of sustainable, non-chemical pest management practices in our food production system.
This document is a White Paper developed by members of the coalition Citizens for Science in Pesticide Regulation, in an initiative of Pesticide Action Network Europe. The White Paper is a consensus document developed by the authors during a workshop held in Brussels in April 2018. It was developed to support a broader manifesto for change in pesticide regulation, which has 140 institutional supporters as of 18 January 2019. More information about the coalition and its activities can be found here: https://citizens4pesticidereform.eu/
