November 28, 2017.
On Monday, November 27, the member states of the European Union voted in favor of renewing the license for glyphosate for 5 years, against the advice of France.
France strongly opposed it
EU member states had been debating for months and months on the possible dangerousness of the glyphosate, the active ingredient in the world’s most widely used herbicide, Monsanto’s Roundup. France had taken the lead of the camp which opposed the renewal of the license of this chemical substance, judged ” probable carcinogen By the World Health Organization (WHO).
” Considering the risks, France will oppose this proposal and vote against “, Announced, the day before the vote, the Secretary of State to Nicolas Hulot, Brune Poirson. ” France wants to build a gradual exit from glyphosate and, with several partners, thinks that a shorter duration would be possible “. But this fierce opposition will not have convinced all the EU countries.
The choice of Germany was decisive
In total, 18 countries voted in favor of the European Commission’s proposal, 9 opposed and one country abstained. Germany, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, which abstained the last time, decided to vote in favor of this renewal for 5 years. To be adopted, the text had to obtain the support of 55% of EU member states, representing at least 65% of the population.
Germany being a country which weighs heavily from a democratic point of view, its change of course was decisive. The 18 countries which voted in favor of this renewal represent 65.71% of the EU population. So it went from a very short head. This turnaround by Germany could go in the direction of the interests of the German laboratory Bayer, currently in the process of merging with Monsanto. This certainly explains it.
Marine Rondot
Read also: The German group Bayer buys Monsanto
