Brussels, 31/07/2024

In October 2020, in its Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, the European Commission committed that the EU will “lead by example” and ensure that hazardous chemicals banned in the EU “are not produced for export”. [...] The proposal to ban the production and export of pesticides that are banned in the Eu received overwhelming support. [...] In June this year, the European Council stressed that “the Commission has not fully delivered on the Chemicals Strategy [...] addressing emerging chemical risks and emerging health and environmental concerns and prohibiting the production for export of harmful chemicals not allowed in the EU” and urged the Commission “to keep a high level of ambition in the implementation of the strategy”. [...] It is of the highest importance that the European Commission now comes up with a proposal to stop the export of banned pesticides at EU level to avoid fragmentation and ensure harmonisation between national legislations, which is also in the interest of the EU’s chemical industry. [...] We thus urge you to consider the adoption of an EU ban on the production and export of pesticides and other hazardous chemicals that are banned in the EU as a priority and to request the Commission to deliver on its commitment and present a legislative proposal without further delay.