EurEau: Commission moves to weaken pesticide and water protections

The European Commission published a new omnibus proposal (16.12.25) as regards the ‘simplification and strengthening of food and feed safety requirements’. It contains welcome measures to accelerate access to the market for new biocontrol substances and products.

However, several other proposed amendments will weaken the protection of drinking water resources. The European Water Resilience Strategy, published in June 2025, recognises that ‘water resilience is a matter of security and crisis preparedness for the EU.’ It goes on to say that ‘urgent action is needed to tackle pollutants which pose a risk to our vital sources of drinking water.’ Pesticides and their metabolites are still found in drinking water resources across the EU, sometimes in concentrations above 100 ng/L.

With this in mind, we cannot support the unlimited approval period of most active substances, the extended grace periods for substances for which the approval is not renewed, the abolition of the obligation for Member States to use the latest scientific evidence when assessing an active substance, and possible derogations from the ban on aerial spraying.

The changes concerning approval would effectively reverse the burden of proof on the safety of pesticides: instead of producers having to show regularly that their product is safe, taking into account evolutions in scientific knowledge, it would be up to authorities and civil society to prove that a product is unsafe. This would be in direct contradiction to the precautionary principle enshrined in Article 191 TFEU.

We call on the co-legislators to ensure the full protection of drinking water resources and avoid legal uncertainty between Regulation 1107/2009 on pesticide approval and the Drinking Water Directive.