title: Towards a better pesticide policy for the European Union.
abstract: This opinion article aims to foster the debate about pesticide legislation in the European Union (EU). Numerous formerly authorized and widely used pesticides are now banned in the EU because unexpected and unacceptable risks emerged after their initial introduction to the market. Throughout this time lapse, environmental quality and human health have been threatened by the use of these compounds. These hazards could have been prevented by a more responsive pesticide regulatory framework. This article provides detailed insights into the pros and cons of pesticides, and points out weaknesses of the current pesticide environmental risk assessment procedures. Possibilities for improving the robustness and reliability of the pesticide regulatory framework are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, INRA, Univ. Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Storck
authors.affiliation: University of Thessaly, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Ploutonos 26 and Aiolou, 41221 Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Karpouzas
authors.affiliation: Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, INRA, Univ. Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France. Electronic address: fabrice.martin@dijon.inra.fr.
authors.forename: Fabrice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martin-Laurent
mesh_terms: D058735:Environmental Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005062:European Union; D006801:Humans; D010575:Pesticides; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides
keywords: Environmental risk assessment; Pesticide; Pesticide policy; Plant protection product