Pesticide, Biotech Studies Could Be Public in EU Transparency Push

Monsanto Co., Syngenta AG, and other pesticides and biotech companies could face greater European Union scrutiny over the scientific studies that underpin their product-authorization applications.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, proposed April 11 that safety studies submitted to the European Food Safety Authority should, as a rule, be made public. The authority now publishes only company-submitted summaries of studies.

The proposal would affect applications from companies for EU authorizations for pesticides, genetically modified crops and other food products, such as additives and enzymes, for which the authority carries out regulatory risk assessments. Companies could ...