Omnibus on pesticide regulation: Appeal to ministers and the Permanent Representation in Brussels
Ahead of a crucial vote on 12 June, Mouvement Ecologique has written to the Luxembourg Ministers for Health, the Environment and Agriculture, as well as to two representatives of Luxembourg’s Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels.
The background to this is the European Commission’s so-called ‘Omnibus’ proposal for an omnibus law aimed at simplifying food and feed safety. This proposal would fundamentally weaken EU pesticide legislation: unlimited authorisation periods for pesticides would become the norm, the burden of proof regarding the (in)safety of substances would shift from industry to public authorities and taxpayers, and protection standards for health, water and biodiversity would be significantly lowered. Specifically, 49 pesticides – including glyphosate and PFAS substances – would automatically receive indefinite authorisations from January 2027. Independent legal opinions conclude that the proposal violates EU fundamental rights and the precautionary principle. All of this would amount to a disastrous step backwards!
On 12 June, Coreper – the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the EU Member States, which prepares the decisions of the EU Council of Ministers – will vote on the Council’s position on this proposal. This vote is pivotal: it will determine the position the Council takes into further negotiations with the European Parliament.
In its letter, the Mouvement Ecologique calls on Luxembourg to advocate for a substantial improvement to the proposal – in particular, the removal of the long transition periods following the non-renewal of pesticide authorisations, as well as the retention of strict derogations in line with the precautionary principle. The original letter can be found on the right under Downloads.
At the same time, a call was issued to the members of Mouvement Ecologique to support the EU-wide campaign “For Health, Bees and Farmers” and thus take a stand against the omnibus proposal. You can find the petition here: LINK
11.06.2026