madam president first of all i wish to thank the rapporteurs mrs klass and mrs breyer the shadow rapporteurs for their constructive approach to the proposal the french presidency and all of you who have contributed to the successful conclusion of the second reading of the commission's proposal
plant protection products play an important role in agriculture horticulture forestry and gardening
however they can also have an impact on human health animal health and the environment
we therefore need to ensure they are regulated in an effective and balanced way
in the preparation of the initial proposal the commission held extensive consultations of stakeholders from all sectors concerned and it carried out a comprehensive impact assessment
the top priority was and still is to achieve the highest possible level of protection for human and animal health and the environment
i am pleased to see that this is also reflected in the outcome of the discussions between the eu institutions
the draft compromise before us today would strengthen this high level of protection through several provisions
clear and strict criteria would be set for the approval of active substances
producers suppliers and professional users would have to keep records to be made available upon request to third parties such as neighbours other residents or the water industry
member state authorities would have to tighten controls on marketing and use and the commission would audit member states controls
duplicative testing on animals would be completely avoided
to promote sustainability in agriculture safer alternatives would substitute the more hazardous products
in order to ensure comprehensive information the commission may also look into the issue of availability of existing alternative products to substances being known as endocrine disruptors
this would happen of course without prejudging the safety requirements of the regulation
as part of the overall compromise i would like to propose the following text in relation to the risk assessment to bees when revising the data requirements for active substances and plant protection products as referred to in article eight one b and c the commission will pay particular attention to study protocols allowing a risk assessment which takes into account the real exposure of bees to these products in particular through nectar and pollen
the draft compromise would create an even safer framework for the use of plant protection products in the european union and would strengthen our environmental safeguards and the protection of our citizens health
it also reflects the lisbon strategy as it would reduce red tape
for example the approval procedure would become shorter and more efficient
furthermore member states would no longer work in isolation since mutual recognition of authorisations would become the norm rather than the exception
this should reduce fragmentation of the internal market and create wider availability of pesticides for farmers
finally i would like to emphasise that it is fully compatible with and complementary to the proposal for a directive on the sustainable use of pesticides which falls under the responsibility of my colleague commissioner dimas
