The package of legislative proposals, presented in December, aims to boost the productivity of EU farms, including by widening access to plant protection products.

With the active substance approval system facing backlogs, the Commission has proposed granting some substances unlimited approvals instead of limiting them to 10-15 years, arguing this would ease pressure on the system and speed up authorisations.

The proposal sparked strong criticism from environmental groups and MEPs, who warned of potential risks to food safety.

In a new compromise draft circulated to national delegations on Wednesday, Cyprus, current holder of the Council’s rotating presidency, proposes restricting unlimited approvals to low-risk substances only, the diplomats said.

Other substances and products would instead see their approval periods extended to 15-20 years, they added. National experts are due to discuss the text at technical level on Friday.

A previous draft compromise had already proposed additional safeguards, such as requiring the Commission to review every two years whether substances granted unlimited approvals should be re-evaluated, while the bloc’s food safety authority EFSA would periodically assess available data on those substances.

Talks are moving quickly in the Council, with member states earlier this week approving a negotiating mandate on the use of drones for pesticide spraying of drones earlier this week, while Cyprus is aiming to secure a general position on the wider package in June.

On Thursday, 12 civil society groups – including green NGO PAN Europe and consumers organisation BEUC – warned in an open letter against rushed Council negotiations on the file, done “without a proper assessment of the options that would ensure the maintenance of a high level of protection”.

They instead called for strengthening EFSA’s resources as an alternative to unlimited approvals, echoing concerns recently raised by some MEPs.

(adm, aw)