On 16 December, the European Commission presented its “omnibus” proposal on food safety. While a leaked draft had revealed a significant weakening of EU health and environmental protections for pesticides, the final proposal only marginally adjusts this orientation without altering the overall logic of the text.

• Maintaining the principle of unlimited approval for certain pesticides. The principle of unlimited approval would not apply to substances identified as candidates for substitution and - new compared to the leaked version - to substances for which the risk assessment reveals uncertainties or data gaps.

• Confirmed reduction in Member States’ margin of discretion in light of new scientific data. FSA studies will now prevail, although Member States may request the Commission to re-examine a substance and prepare a new study.

• Grace periods. The Commission partly revises its initial proposal. The standard grace period remains 18 months but may be extended to 36 months if no viable alternative is available.

• No concrete progress on import requirements. The proposal falls short of the leaked version, which provided for an immediate and automatic reduction in MRLs for the most dangerous substances. This measure would have covered only a quarter of the 72 substances banned in the EU and excluded many products (animal feed, processed products, etc.). In its final proposal, the Commission states that it will wait for the results of the impact assessment announced for November 2025 before taking concrete action on this matter.