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Monday may be the EU member states’ last chance to agree on the controversial herbicide’s fate, glyphosate.

27 November is maybe the last chance for the European Commission to persuade the EU member states to extend the license of glyphosate herbicide, as its license expires on 15 December 2017. The EU executive will attempt another compromise via another vote in the appeal committee of the Standing Committee on Plant Animal Food and Feed in Brussels.

It was fourteen member stated that voted for, nine against and five abstained at the 9 November vote of the European Commission’s proposal to reauthorize glyphosate for another 5 years, after the 10-year proposal – still less than the standard fifteen-year period that is usually granted.

According to an EU official, Monday’s vote is expected to take place between “higher political level” representatives compared to experts from the first committee. The decision will be taken by a qualified majority, meaning that at least 16 member states will have to agree.

This means that the abstainer member states – among which Germany, will have to decide. However, influencing member states such as France are not expected to alter their negative stance. “Considering the risks, France will oppose (the) proposal and vote against France wants to build a gradual exit of glyphosate and, with several partners, thinks that a shorter duration would be possible”, said on Sunday in JDD Brune Poirson, Secretary of State to the Minister of Ecological Transition.