Press release: HEAL, together with the EDC-Free Europe coalition, is calling on future EU leaders to protect health and the environment from health-harming endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The coalition shared its priorities for the upcoming policy mandate at an event at the European Parliament.
Yesterday, MEPs held the confirmation hearing with Commissioner-designate Roswall, whose portfolio focuses on environment, water resilience and a competitive circular economy.
People’s health is threatened like never before by climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. The scientific evidence on how the triple crisis threatens and already impacts people’s health across the European Union has steadily increased and underlines the need for urgent action to prevent further suffering’ and economic impacts. The health of children, the elderly, those living with disease, and those experiencing socio-economic disadvantages and health inequalities is particularly at risk.
HEAL was therefore pleased to see strong cross-party commitment by MEPs on protecting health against this triple crisis and that representatives want to see tangible and targeted EU action, as they kept pushing the Commissioner-designate for precise answers and specific commitments to deliver on:
- Putting forward the urgently needed long-promised health-protective update of the EU chemicals law REACH, urging for swifter restrictions and phase outs of hazardous chemicals, for better health
- Swiftly restricting harmful substances such as endocrine disruptors and PFAS, which are among the most hazardous chemicals present everywhere in our daily life
- Ensuring that circular economy leads to non-toxic cycles, with no hazardous substances in recycled materials
- Taking forward reducing pesticide exposure and the related health harm, especially in the context of the Vision for Agriculture and Food
- Tackling delays in reducing emissions of air pollutants currently regulated by the National Emissions reduction Commitments Directive, in particular ammonia (which contributes to the formation of particulate matter PM2.5), as well as action on reducing ozone by tackling methane pollution
Key takeaways:
Commissioner-designate Roswall expressed her clear commitment to staying the course of the laws confirmed including the zero-pollution ambition and EU action plan. She also underlined her commitment to implementation and enforcement of EU legislation in order to deliver results. Last but not least, it was welcome to hear Ms. Roswall clarifying that under her watch, simplification would not mean deregulation.
In the course of the hearing, Commissioner-designate Roswall repeatedly highlighted that the cost of inaction or delayed action was already too high.
Anne Stauffer, Deputy Director at the HEAL comments:
“It was encouraging to hear the Commissioner-designate’s commitment to staying on course on existing legislation and on strengthening implementation and enforcement. However, in view of the urgency to protect people’s health from the consequences of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, we need to see more than simply staying on course. Specific actions and measures are needed to cut down people’s exposure to hazardous chemicals and pesticides and emissions which fuel climate change and air pollution.”
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