The EU commission has recently clarified that it WILL send a request to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for a scientific opinion on the merits of a referral procedure to evaluate the legal authorisations given to market vet diclofenac in Spain and Italy.
We already knew that DG Sanco had taken that decision, but there was some confusion regarding the process, as the EMA had not received a formal endorsement and a clear request from the Commission.
It is good to confirm that the EU Commission will do so soon – the recent communication from the EU confirms that the EMA will discuss this issue in September, with a final decision expected in December.
In the meantime, the issue remains very much alive in the minds of Europeans – during the last few weeks no less than 4 major articles appeared in the national and regional press in Germany about the matter (see below). The message is clear – vet diclofenac poses a considerable risk to our vultures and should be banned!
