European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis | Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images Commission to clear controversial weedkiller glyphosate for 18 months Commission had scolded countries for hiding behind it on a delicate decision

The European Commission granted temporary EU marketing approval Tuesday for the controversial weedkiller glyphosate -- absorbing the political hit for countries not wanting to take the blame for the move.

The Commission had scolded countries like Germany and France for hiding behind the bloc on the decision involving the world's most widely used pesticide, largely sold as Roundup by agri-giant Monsanto.

And EU Health and Food Safety Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis did so again as he announced the Commission would re-extend authorization for the herbicide for another 18 months, at a routine meeting of agriculture and food ministers in Luxembourg.

"I am once again surprised about the positions [of] some member states not to hear our proposals," he said. "But of course the Commission will follow our legal obligation; we know very well that we have the deadline of the 30th of June and we will adopt an extension of glyphosate [for] 18 months."

The Commission had hit a deadlock, after failing to first secure a 15 year renewal and after a series of defeats, not getting EU countries' approvals for just the 18 months. But the Commission ultimately had the power to act on its own.

The chemical became mired in controversy after a World Health Organization committee report last year suggested it has the potential to cause cancer. That finding mobilized NGOs and Green groups to lobby hard against approval, catching some governments and the Commission off guard.

Andriukaitis told his fellow commissioners earlier this month that Germany, France and Italy quietly pushed the Commission to re-approve the chemical — while publicly not wanting to back renewal.

According to the public minutes of the meeting, Andriukaitis said that "he regretted this institutional deadlock, and noted the ambiguous position of certain member states which were seeking to induce the Commission to take a decision in their stead."

But the Commission wound up doing what it tried to avoid -- clearing the extension without the support of member countries.

The move has the potential to further inflame critics who blast the Commission as a top-down bureaucracy ignoring the will of the people. Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has been pushing countries to be more accountable for EU actions and avoid hiding behind the Commission on politically unpopular decisions.

Subsequent reports from another World Health Organization committee and the European Food Safety Authority largely clearing glyphosate of causing cancer failed to calm the controversy, leading to opposition in some member countries, including Germany and France.

“By refusing to ban this substance, the Commission refuses to turn the page on chemical agriculture, which harms the health of farmers and consumers. […] This 18 months of extension have to be used by the member states to get rid of glyphosate for good,” said the French Green MEP Michèle Rivasi.

But opposition from countries led to a deadlock, leaving open the possibility that the chemical could be swiftly removed the market and the threat of potential lawsuits from industry.

The Commission could not even get backing for its last and drastically scaled back proposal, an extension for 18 months. That’s when the European Chemicals Agency is expected to deliver a final opinion on whether glyphosate can cause cancer.

So days before the deadline, it decided to push ahead with that plan anyway.

Jack Flemming contributed reporting

Authors: