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Reports and Memo's
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Brussels, october 1995
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Decisive years for european consumer protection
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Need for an integrated water policy
In view of the ever higher cost incurred for the purification of drinking water on account of increased pollution caused by nitrates, pesticides, etc., EURO COOP supports the claims made by the European Parliament's Environment and Consumer Protection Committee and by the Environment Ministers for the adoption of an integrated approach towards the European Union's policy on water.
Current directives have not been able to ensure the maintenance of drinking water standards nor the application of the « polluter pays » principle. It has therefore become urgent to oblige the polluters of surface water in particular, starting with the farmers but also industry and waterway transporters, to respect a global water policy.
In this regard, the CAP should no longer subsidise mass production which is an incentive to use excessive amounts of fertilisers and plant protection products. The Commission's proposed list of pesticides for authorisation must absolutely be reviewed; it contains in fact several products which are considered to be carcinogenic, such as atrazine, simazine, lindane, etc..
The national governments and the European Commission should put a halt to the recent attempts made by the manufacturers of phytosanitary products to bring about the lowering of the strict limit value in the drinking water Directive because it allegedly weakens « the innovative capacity » of the European phytosanitary industry. Those areas of the European Union which are in part also the most thickly populated regions of the world must not become the experimental field for the manufacturers of pesticides.
The current enforced standard of a maximum of 0.1 micrograms per litre of any single pesticide, must not be infringed, particularly since according to recent information, it is not only the quantity but the sole presence of certain pesticides that can be carcinogenic. In this regard EURO COOP reaffirms the views expressed in its Opinion of 11 October 1993. It is highly regrettable that the limit value of 0.5 micrograms applicable to the total level, has been abolished whilst numerous pesticides are still being used in fact.
Current directives are often not only applied far too late in the Member States, but sometimes also in a different manner and not always to the fullest extent. For these reasons, the Council should rather adopt a Regulation laying down strict rules for the different economic sectors as well as regularly controlled standards, the non-respect of which must be subject to deterring sanctions. Up until now, it is in fact the victim that always pays, that is to say, the consumer, and not only in cash but also at the cost of his health!
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[ TABLE OF CONTENTS ]
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