Investigation by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) and journalist Stephane Horel exposes corporate lobby groups mobilising to stop the EU taking action on hormone disrupting chemicals (EDCs)
A groundbreaking new report tells the story of how a major EU public health initiative to regulate endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) was effectively obstructed by corporate lobby groups in tandem with actors within the European Commission.
This issue is highly relevant to the GMO issue, as Roundup and other pesticides used on GM crops have been found to be endocrine disruptors.
1. A toxic affair: How the chemical lobby blocked action on hormone disrupting chemicals
2. EU health policy on endocrine disruption collateral damage in Commission health service
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1. A toxic affair: How the chemical lobby blocked action on hormone disrupting chemicals
Corporate Europe Observatory, May 19 2015
http://corporateeurope.org/pressreleases/2015/05/toxic-affair-how-chemical-lobby-blocked-action-hormone-disrupting-chemicals
An investigation led by research and campaign group Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) and journalist Stephane Horel exposes corporate lobby groups mobilising to stop the EU taking action on hormone (endocrine) disrupting chemicals (EDCs).
The report sheds light on how corporations and their lobby groups have used numerous tactics from the corporate lobbying playbook: scaremongering, evidence-discrediting, and delaying tactics as well as the ongoing TTIP negotiations as a leverage.
It points the finger at lobby groups representing the chemical industry, pesticides producers and the plastics sector such as CEFIC (European Chemical Industry Council), ECPA (European Crop Protection Association) and major European corporations such as BASF and Bayer who have been particularly active in countering possible regulation of these toxic substances.
But the report shows that also actors within the European Commission itself have been key at obstructing the process. Directorate-General (DG) for the Environment was in charge for developing the EDC regulation and was not only attacked by industry lobby groups, but also countered and isolated by DG SANCO, Trade and Enterprise. This has resulted in a complete U-turn by the European Commission. In July 2013 the Secretariat-General of the Commission decided to undertake an impact assessment – which happened to be industry's key demand. This has resulted in a substantial delay: the scientific criteria to define EDCs will not be ready before 2017, that is 4 years after the legal deadline set by the Parliament.
EDCs are present in everyday products – from cosmetics, carpets, and computers, to pesticides, plastics, and construction materials. Because of their ability to interact with the hormonal systems of living organisms, they are suspected of having severe health and environmental impacts. Human exposure to them has been linked to diseases such as prostate, breast, and testicular cancers, infertility, genital abnormalities, brain development, diabetes, and obesity. A landmark report by the World Health Organisation and the UN Environmental Programme (link is external)called EDCs a “global threat”.
“Delaying any regulations on EDCs is of crucial importance to the industry. This gives them an opportunity to use the ongoing talks on the EU-US trade deal, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), to get rid of EDC regulation altogether,” comments Nina Holland, CEO campaigner and co-author of the report. One of the main goals of the TTIP negotiators is to flatten out the differences between EU and US regulations to facilitate trade. Any potential EU action on endocrine disruptors therefore would be a major stumbling block for the talks.
“This investigation tells the story of a major ongoing lobbying battle. Hundreds of documents released by the European Commission following freedom of information requests show unambiguously how science is being manipulated to defend vested interests, manufacture doubt and delay a pioneering regulation.”
PDF of the report: http://corporateeurope.org/sites/default/files/toxic_lobby_edc_1.pdf
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2. EU health policy on endocrine disruption collateral damage in Commission health service SANTE's power play
Pesticide Action Network Europe, 20 May 2015
http://www.pan-europe.info/News/PR/150520.html
In 2010, EU Commission granted DG Environment (DG ENV) the lead on the development of the criteria for endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC's). But EU health service SANCO (now SANTE) was disloyal to this decision.
In 2012, SANCO secretly collaborated with DG Enterprise to undermine the work of DG ENV and mandated Food Authority EFSA to redo the work done by DG ENV and the EU Joint Research Center (JRC). In 2013, DG SANCO continued their undermining activities and took advantage of a massive and unprecedented industry lobby that gained easily credibility at economic-focused EU Commission services such DG Enterprise, DG Trade and the Secretary-General.
These economic DGs were keen to believe the exaggerated claims of industry about the big profit losses that the banning of EDC-pesticides would bring and were concerned about alleged negative effects of the endocrine policy on the EU-US trade talks (TTIP).
Health DG SANTE, in an effort to stop DG ENV, joined forces with these economic DGs behind the back of DG ENV and won the power play. This is what hundreds of documents obtained by PAN Europe on the basis of a series of "access-to-document" requests demonstrate[1] to what happened behind the closed doors of Brussels Commission services "dealing and wheeling".
The result is known; criteria for endocrine disruption were not published -despite the obligation in the EU-legislation to do so- and an impact assessment was requested based on a roadmap with a range of options undermining the agreed policy on endocrine disrupting pesticides by EU Council, Commission and Parliament in 2009.
PAN Europe concludes that DG SANCO seemed obsessed with humiliating DG ENV and hired EFSA to do the first demolition work, knowing very well that industry-friendly EFSA opposed the EU endocrine policy. According to one panel member the EFSA opinion even was embarrassing because it completely contradicted the landmark UNEP/WHO-study on endocrine disruption. For the second "knife in the back" of DG ENV, the collaborating DGs put in place the Secretary-General to start an economic impact assessment and caused the downfall of the endocrine policy.
PAN Europe feels it is a shame that health DG SANCO completely forgot about its mission to serve the health of citizens and engaged in this wild power play.
CEO and French journalist Stéphane Horel today publish a report exposing how major European corporations such as BASF and Bayer and their lobby groups have been mobilising to stop the EU taking action on EDCs, using the ongoing TTIP negotiations as a leverage.[2]
Further information:
1. PANE analysis and timeline
2. http://corporateeurope.org/