Brussels wants to extend use of glyphosate by 15 years: EU countries divided

The European Commission wants to allow the use of glyphosate in agriculture for another fifteen years. This leaked last week following informal talks among European agriculture ministers in Spain.

The current license expires at the end of this year. It has previously emerged that several EU countries would prefer to ban its use. Recent studies by various EU bodies, such as ECHA and EFSA, have not shown that glyphosate poses major health risks, as some experts and environmental organizations claim. Glyphosate, an active ingredient in many herbicides, is crucial for agriculture to control weeds. Agricultural organizations have pushed for the continuation of its use due to its positive effects on productivity. They argue there is no convincing scientific evidence that glyphosate is harmful when used properly.

The last extension of glyphosate's authorization was in 2017 for five years. The European Commission will decide, based on recent research and a report from a group of four EU countries (the Netherlands, France, Hungary, and Sweden), whether to renew approval of glyphosate.

Germany was a declared opponent of renewed approval, but there is now debate in Berlin on the issue. If Germany reconsiders its glyphosate ban, this could further complicate the debate within the EU. French President Macron was also against renewed approval several years ago, but has said nothing recently on the matter.