Fifteen companies consisting of Human Rights View sent letters to European Union authorities and lawmakers today pushing the European Commission to follow through on its commitments to stop the export of chemicals that are prohibited in the EU.
EU regulatory authorities have actually prohibited these chemicals within the EU after assessing evidence that they position unacceptable threats either to the atmosphere or human health, consisting of being connected to cancer cells , hormonal conditions , infertility, miscarriage, adverse impacts on fetal development , neurological diseases , and death. Nonetheless, while EU legislators have figured out that these chemicals are harmful for Europeans, EU-based companies remain to manufacture and export those exact same pesticides primarily to countries in the global south.
The European Commission made a commitment in 2020 to finish this double typical with strategies to propose legislation by the end of 2023 Nevertheless, almost two years later, progression has stopped.
Instead, brand-new information released by civil society companies Public consciousness and Discovered shows that exports have really boosted given that the commission made these assurances. According to records of export alerts obtained under flexibility of details requests, EU nations exported almost 122, 000 statistics tons of banned pesticides in 2024 , a 50 percent increase from the last documented information in 2018
Three-quarters of the exports of EU-banned pesticides in 2024 went to reduced- and middle-income countries where laws to secure against the injury of direct exposure to these chemicals are usually weaker. As an example, according to the export notices, the EU exported virtually 15, 000 statistics tons of EU-banned chemicals to Brazil in 2024 Human Rights Enjoy research study in Brazil has shown that weak defenses versus pesticide exposure, such as reducing barrier zones or poor regulatory systems , intensify significant health and wellness and human rights harms and risks. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has called out this double standard , claiming that chemical firms apply “pressure” on Brazilian lawmakers, contributing to a weaker regulatory atmosphere.
Action from the European Payment is long past due. The compensation must quickly release the results of the effect evaluation initiated in 2023 with a clear timeline for following actions and offer a legislative proposal before completion of 2025 to restrict the manufacture and export of pesticides prohibited in the EU.