Photo: C. Fischer

Pesticides are used in agriculture to keep unwanted weeds and pests at bay - but the agricultural poisons used for this purpose pollute the environment worldwide. Until now, the EU Commission has always been able to provisionally extend the approval of controversial active substances if the prescribed risk assessment was delayed. As a result, numerous substances have remained in use even though their last full assessment was decades ago in some cases.

Binding case-by-case assessment
The Aurelia Foundation, a project partner of the Software AG Foundation (SAGST) for many years, has taken legal action against this practice together with the organizations Pollinis France and PAN Europe. Specifically, the case concerned the active ingredients glyphosate, boscalid and dimoxystrobin, which are used in many crop protection products. On November 19, 2025, the General Court of the European Union upheld the complaints and declared the routine renewals unlawful. The judges emphasized that a temporary extension is only permissible on a temporary basis and in justified exceptions. In future, the EU Commission must check on a case-by-case basis how long it actually took to carry out the risk assessment and whether manufacturers themselves contributed to the delay - for example by submitting late or inadequate data. Without this review, approval can no longer simply continue after the regular approval period has expired.

Health protection comes before
The ruling is an important signal for the protection of bees, other pollinators and biodiversity. Many of the active substances concerned are suspected of harming ecosystems and contributing to insect mortality. If they are extended without a current risk assessment, this contradicts the precautionary principle enshrined in the EU. This is intended to ensure that environmental and health risks are limited at an early stage. "The EU Court puts an end to the disastrous practice of the EU Commission, which keeps hundreds of pesticide active substances on the market and thus on the field solely through derogations," says Thomas Radetzki, Chairman of the Board of the Aurelia Foundation. "We are pleased that it expressly takes into account the priority of environmental and health protection over economic interests."