German Political Limbo Settles EU Dispute Over Monsanto Weedkiller -- Update
November 27 2017 - 4:10PM
Dow Jones News
By Valentina Pop
BRUSSELS -- A yearslong dispute among European Union nations,
American corporations and environmental groups over a controversial
weedkiller was settled Monday in a surprise move by Germany.
Representatives from a majority of the EU's 28 nations approved
a five-year license renewal of glyphosate, the world's most widely
used herbicide, invented and marketed by Monsanto Co. under the
Roundup brand.
The unexpected move unblocked a two-year deadlock after the
World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on
Cancer concluded that the substance has the potential to cause
cancer in humans.
EU's chemicals agency in March dismissed those claims, prompting
the European Commission, the bloc's executive branch, to propose a
five-year renewal of glyphosate sales in the bloc.
Eighteen countries voted in favor of the renewal, including
Spain and the U.K. Nine nations including France voted against it
and Portugal abstained.
The license extension was facilitated by Germany's postelection
limbo. Outgoing environment minister Barbara Hendricks accused farm
minister Christian Schmidt of going behind her back, after she
received confirmation from the German representative in Brussels
that he will abstain from the vote.
The decision required not just a majority of the countries
voting, but also of governments representing a majority of the EU's
500 million citizens. With an abstention, Germany, as the bloc's
most-populous nation, would have blocked the decision.
"You cannot act this way when you are trying to build trust
among dialogue partners," said Ms. Hendricks, who is a Social
Democrat. Her party is currently in coalition talks with Chancellor
Angela Merkel.
Mr. Schmidt defended his stance, telling the Rheinische Post
daily that he obtained concessions in regards to animal health and
biodiversity. He said that the commission would have approved the
five-year extension anyway, even if the countries opposed.
"Today's vote shows that when we all want to, we are able to
share and accept our collective responsibility in decision making,"
said EU health commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis.
The commission is set to renew the 5-year license before Dec.
15, when the current license expires.
Environmental groups and Green politicians reacted angrily to
the news.
In the European Parliament, British Green lawmaker Molly Scott
Cato described the Monday vote as a "toxic decision" ignoring 1.5
million EU citizens who signed a petition against glyphosate.
"Germany bowed to (...) corporate pressure, ignoring their own
citizens to give the chemical industry an early Christmas present,"
said Luis Morago, campaign director with Avaaz, a U.S.-based human
rights network.
Industry lobby group Glyphosate Task Force said in a statement
it was "profoundly disappointed" at the decision to extend only by
five years the chemical's license. "The GTF considers this decision
to be discriminatory against glyphosate, not related to any
scientific assessment and mainly influenced by public perception
and driven by politics," it said.
Write to Valentina Pop at valentina.pop@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 27, 2017 15:55 ET (20:55 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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