The European Commission has blocked Austria from implementing a planned ban on the controversial weedkiller glyphosate, a document seen by POLITICO shows.
Brussels deems Vienna’s bid to ban the herbicide over concerns about its impact on human health and the environment as incompatible with EU law, according to a letter sent by the Commission’s Director General for the Internal Market Kerstin Jorna to Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, dated August 17.
“In an area governed by directly applicable EU law, member states may not adopt national provisions that would affect the correct and full application of EU law,” the letter states.
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Three months ago, Vienna notified Brussels of its intention to ban glyphosate …. But the Commission rejected …. claims the substance poses a risk to groundwater and human health, and saying that problems linking pesticides to biodiversity decline were not unique to Austria.
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