The Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO) has submitted feedback to the European Commission’s public consultation on the draft delegated act amending Regulation (EU) No 649/2012, which governs the export and import of hazardous chemicals. While we welcome the proposed changes, we believe they do not go far enough to protect human health and the environment, particularly in countries in the Global South where regulatory capacity is often limited.

Export notifications alone are insufficient to prevent harm caused by hazardous substances, especially pesticides that are banned within the EU due to their severe health and environmental risks. Continuing to produce and export these chemicals undermines the EU’s commitments to policy coherence for development, international human rights law, and environmental justice.

The FTAO calls on the European Commission to introduce a full ban on the production and export of hazardous chemicals that are prohibited in the EU, and to support smallholder farmers and producers in transitioning to safer, sustainable alternatives.

Read the full contribution here.