Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-05-29-Speech-3-169"
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"en.20020529.12.3-169"2
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"Mr President, the Commission’s report makes it clear that the functioning of Directive 91/414/EEC is full of serious shortcomings. Consequently, the rapporteur, who, as I have said repeatedly, has done sterling work and receives unqualified support from my group for this, is quite right to criticise a number of those shortcomings in his report. For example, it transpires that it is not so much inherent characteristics as commercial interests that play a decisive role, that evaluation is limited to certain aspects of hormonal disruption, for example, and that effects on children are barely taken into account. However, the rapporteur has already been considering all these aspects for some time. We have to conclude that we have no guarantees whatsoever that substances that feature on the positive list are in fact really safe for the public and the environment.
We hardly have any choice but to go along with extending the evaluation deadlines, because only three percent of the substances have been evaluated to date. We do this, however, on a number of very specific conditions. As the rapporteur has elaborated on these extensively, I shall not repeat them here.
However, I do want to take this opportunity to make another point. The pesticides policy should not only focus on admitting substances regulated by this directive, especially since this directive is unable to stem the continuous increase in the use of, and dependence on, pesticides, and hence the presence of pesticide residues in water and food.
We have a number of important things to do, and I, along with many others, am waiting for the Commission to take the initiative. There is a wide range of instruments which we need to use at European level. First of all, the extra financial support for research into, and the application of, non-chemical pesticides must be greatly increased, both for integrated crop management and for organic agriculture. Secondly, compulsory training in integrated crop management methods and good agricultural practices is essential. Thirdly, the lack of information requires that a database accessible to the public be set up at European level as a matter of urgency. This database should comprise both sales and user information on all pesticides and their toxicological characteristics. Fourthly, a VAT level must be set which is harmonised at European level. It should be harmonised, Commissioner, but at a sufficiently high level. This currently fluctuates between 23 and 25%, and we need to do something about this. Furthermore, we need special taxes on external environmental costs related to products and product prices. And last but not least: reduction programmes must be set up at national level which must curb the use of, and particularly dependence on, pesticides."@en1
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