EFSA is inviting comments on its overview of scientific knowledge concerning the risks to amphibians and reptiles from pesticides.

The Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues has investigated the coverage of the risk to amphibians and reptiles provided by risk assessments for other vertebrate groups. The experts have also reviewed available test methods and exposure models with regard to their applicability to amphibians and reptiles.

In a draft scientific opinion launched for public consultation today the Panel proposes that a specific environmental risk assessment scheme should be developed for these two groups.

Interested parties can submit comments up to 24 May 2017.

Food consumed in the European Union continues to be largely free of pesticide residues or to contain residues that fall within legal limits, new figures show. The latest monitoring report published by EFSA reveals that more than 97% of food samples collected across the EU in 2015 were within legal limits, with just over 53% free of quantifiable residues. The figures are in line with those recorded in 2014.

• In 2015, the reporting countries analysed 84,341 samples for 774 pesticides.
• The majority of the samples (69.3%) originated from EU Member States, Iceland and Norway; 25.8% concerned products imported from third countries. The origin of the remaining samples was not reported.
• 97.2% of the samples analysed fell within the limits permitted in EU legislation. 53.3% of the samples tested were free of quantifiable residues while 43.9% contained residues not exceeding legal limits.
• Legal limits were exceeded in 5.6% of the samples from non-EU countries, down from 6.5% in 2014.
• For products from EU and EEA countries, legal limits were exceeded in 1.7% of samples, a slight year-on-year increase (from 1.6%).
• Of the samples of foods intended for infants and young children, 96.5% were free of residues or residues fell within legal limits.
• For organic foods, 99.3% were residue-free or within legal limits.
• The majority of samples of animal products (84.4%) were free of quantifiable residues.

Use our interactive report to go beyond the headline figures and find out more about the findings from 2015.

As part of its annual report, EFSA analyses the results of the EU-coordinated control programme (EUCP), under which reporting countries analyse samples from the same “basket” of food items. For 2015 the products were aubergines, bananas, broccoli, virgin olive oil, orange juice, peas, sweet peppers, table grapes, wheat, butter and eggs.

The highest exceedance rate recorded was for broccoli (3.4% of samples), followed by table grapes (1.7%). Rare exceedances were found for olive oil, orange juice and chicken eggs. No exceedances were recorded for butter.

EFSA also performed a dietary risk assessment based on the EUCP. For both short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) exposure the Authority concluded that the risk to consumers was low.

The same products were also analysed in 2012, since when the overall exceedance rate has fallen slightly from 0.9% to 0.8% in 2015.

In its report EFSA makes a number of recommendations for increasing the efficiency of the EU-coordinated and national control programmes.

Food consumed in the European Union continues to be largely free of pesticide residues or to contain residues that fall within legal limits, new figures show. The latest monitoring report published by EFSA reveals that more than 97% of food samples collected across the EU in 2015 were within legal limits, with just over 53% free of quantifiable residues. The figures are in line with those recorded in 2014.

• In 2015, the reporting countries analysed 84,341 samples for 774 pesticides.
• The majority of the samples (69.3%) originated from EU Member States, Iceland and Norway; 25.8% concerned products imported from third countries. The origin of the remaining samples was not reported.
• 97.2% of the samples analysed fell within the limits permitted in EU legislation. 53.3% of the samples tested were free of quantifiable residues while 43.9% contained residues not exceeding legal limits.
• Legal limits were exceeded in 5.6% of the samples from non-EU countries, down from 6.5% in 2014.
• For products from EU and EEA countries, legal limits were exceeded in 1.7% of samples, a slight year-on-year increase (from 1.6%).
• Of the samples of foods intended for infants and young children, 96.5% were free of residues or residues fell within legal limits.
• For organic foods, 99.3% were residue-free or within legal limits.
• The majority of samples of animal products (84.4%) were free of quantifiable residues.

Use our interactive report to go beyond the headline figures and find out more about the findings from 2015.

As part of its annual report, EFSA analyses the results of the EU-coordinated control programme (EUCP), under which reporting countries analyse samples from the same “basket” of food items. For 2015 the products were aubergines, bananas, broccoli, virgin olive oil, orange juice, peas, sweet peppers, table grapes, wheat, butter and eggs.

The highest exceedance rate recorded was for broccoli (3.4% of samples), followed by table grapes (1.7%). Rare exceedances were found for olive oil, orange juice and chicken eggs. No exceedances were recorded for butter.

EFSA also performed a dietary risk assessment based on the EUCP. For both short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) exposure the Authority concluded that the risk to consumers was low.

The same products were also analysed in 2012, since when the overall exceedance rate has fallen slightly from 0.9% to 0.8% in 2015.

In its report EFSA makes a number of recommendations for increasing the efficiency of the EU-coordinated and national control programmes.

Recent proposals to expedite the return of migrants who are not entitled to refugee status will be debated in the Civil Liberties Committee on Tuesday morning.

The proposals, which include concrete recommendations to member states, such as on detaining people who have received a return decision as a measure to prevent them from absconding, were presented by the European Commission on 7 March. The EU Action Plan on Return and accompanying recommendations follow the Malta summit in February where member states highlighted the need for a review of the EU return policy.

MEPs will discuss the proposals with the European Commission.

You can follow the committee meeting on EP LIVE.

When: Tuesday, 11 April, 10.00 – 11.10

Where: József Antall room 2Q2, European Parliament (Brussels)

Both Maersk Line and HSDG are active worldwide in container liner shipping. The clearance is conditional upon the withdrawal of HSDG from five consortia on trade routes connecting (i) Northern Europe and Central America/Caribbean, (ii) Northern Europe and West Coast South America, (iii) Northern Europe and Middle East, (iv) the Mediterranean and West Coast South America and (v) the Mediterranean and East Coast South America. On these routes, the merged entity would have faced insufficient competition after the transaction.

Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: “Competitive shipping services are essential for European companies and for the EU’s economy as a whole. The commitments offered by Maersk Line and HSDG will maintain a healthy level of competition to the benefit of the very many EU companies that depend on these container shipping services.”

The Commission’s competition concerns

The proposed transaction would lead to the combination of two leading container liner shipping companies. Maersk Line is the largest container shipping company, while HSDG is number nine worldwide. Like several other carriers, Maersk Line and HSDG offer their services on trade routes through cooperation agreements with other shipping companies. These are known as “consortia” or “alliances” and are based on vessel sharing agreements where members decide jointly on capacity setting, scheduling and ports of call, which are all important parameters of competition.

The Commission examined the effects of the merger on competition in this specific market for container liner shipping on seventeen trade routes connecting Europe with the Americas, Asia, the Middle-East, Africa and Australia/New Zealand.

The Commission found that the merger, as initially notified, would have created new links between the previously unconnected entities Maersk Line and five of the consortia HSDG belongs to (Eurosal 1/SAWC, Eurosal 2/SAWC, EPIC 2, CCWM/MEDANDES and MESA).

According to the Commission’s analysis, this  would have resulted in anti-competitive effects on the corresponding five trade routes (Northern Europe and Central America/Caribbean; Northern Europe and West Coast South America; Northern Europe and Middle East; Mediterranean and West Coast South America; Mediterranean and East Coast South America). In particular, these links could have enabled the merged entity to influence key parameters of competition, such as capacity, for a very large proportion of those markets, to the detriment of their commercial customers and, ultimately, of consumers.

The proposed transaction would also create (a) limited links between Maersk Line and HSDG in the markets for short-sea shipping and “tramp services” (unscheduled, on demand shipping), as well as (b) limited links between the two companies’ activities in container liner shipping and the container terminals, harbour towage, freight forwarding, container manufacturing and inland transportation sectors where Maersk Line or other companies belonging to the Maersk Group are active.

However, in both areas, the Commission found no competition concerns, in particular because several other service providers are active in these markets.

The proposed commitments

In order to address the Commission’s competition concerns, Maersk offered to terminate the participation of HSDG in the five consortia (Eurosal 1/SAWC, Eurosal 2/SAWC, EPIC 2, CCWM/MEDANDES and MESA). This will entirely remove the problematic links between Maersk Line and HSDG’s consortia that would have been created by the transaction.

HSDG will continue to operate as part of the five consortia during the notice period to guarantee an orderly exit. However, a monitoring trustee will ensure that no anti-competitive information is shared between these five consortia and the merged entity during that notice period.

In view of the proposed remedies, the Commission concluded that the proposed transaction, as modified, would no longer raise competition concerns. The decision is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments.

Companies and products

HSDG operates 130 container vessels. HSDG markets its services through its global Hamburg Süd brand and its CCNI (Chile) and Aliança (Brazil) brands. HSDG is a member of several consortia and in particular:

Maersk Line operates 611 container vessels, 324 of which are chartered, and sells its container liner shipping services worldwide. It markets its services through the Maersk Line, Safmarine, SeaLand (Intra-Americas), MCC Transport (Intra-Asia) and SeaGo Line (Intra-Europe) brands. In addition, the Maersk Group also provides container terminal services, freight forwarding services, inland transportation, container manufacturing, and harbour towage services.

Merger control rules and procedures

The transaction was notified to the Commission on 20 February 2017. 

The Commission has the duty to assess mergers and acquisitions involving companies with a turnover above certain thresholds (see Article 1 of the Merger Regulation) and to prevent concentrations that would significantly impede competition in the EEA or any substantial part of it.

The vast majority of notified mergers do not pose competition problems and are cleared after a routine review. From the moment a transaction is notified, the Commission generally has a total of 25 working days to decide whether to grant approval (Phase I) or to start an in-depth investigation (Phase II).

More information will be available on the competition website, in the Commission’s public case register under the case number M.8330.