First EU country: Austria decides to completely ban glyphosate

Austria is currently headed by a transitional government. This was used because the coalition of the conservative ÖVP with the right-wing populist FPÖ broke up. Until the targeted new elections, there will therefore be no fixed majority in parliament. This has now made the success of a particularly controversial application possible. The Social Democrats of the SPÖ demanded a complete ban on the plant protection product glyphosate. The ÖVP, on the other hand, wanted to prevent this step and instead brought only a ban for private individuals and in public spaces into play. Ultimately, it was the votes of the FPÖ deputies that mattered. They decided to follow the application for a complete glyphosate ban. Austria is the first EU country in which the controversial drug may no longer be used.

Glyphosate is sometimes classified as carcinogenic
France, however, wants to take a similar step next year. Glyphosate is controversial because it is suspected to be carcinogenic. A panel of the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the product in 2015 as "probably carcinogenic". However, this fact is often misinterpreted. Because the experts there only examined whether glyphosate can fundamentally promote cancer. They made no statement as to whether this is the case even when used correctly. In addition to glyphosate, for example, the enjoyment of hot drinks is on the list as "probably carcinogenic". The “European Food Safety Authority (Efsa)”, on the other hand, assessed the risk of glyphosate use when used correctly and had no concerns. The drug is therefore approved in the EU at least until the end of 2022.

The ban could still fail under EU law
Exactly this could now be a problem for Austria. This is because individual states can only ban products that are approved across Europe on their own in exceptional cases. Before the vote in the Austrian National Council, a first opinion came to the conclusion that the complete ban was not compatible with EU law. In addition: After the early elections in September, coalition negotiations are due again. It is quite possible that the ÖVP around former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz will insist that the complete ban be withdrawn. In contrast, glyphosate is still approved in the United States. There, however, the medium currently deals with numerous dishes. Most recently, the German Bayer group was sentenced to pay several large damages. So far, however, none of the judgments have become final.