The European Parliament has given the green light to a special committee which aims to look into the EU’s authorisation procedure for pesticides.
The special committee said concerns have been raised about the risk posed by the herbicide substance glyphosate.
The herbicide had its marketing licence renewed by EU member states for five years in November last year.
The special committee is to assess the authorisation procedure for pesticides in the EU and potential failures in how substances are scientifically evaluated and approved.
It will also assess the role of the European Commission in renewing the glyphosate licence and possible conflicts of interest in the approval procedure.
The term of the special committee, which will have 30 members, is to be nine months from its first meeting.
Molly Scott Cato MEP, who sits on the European parliament’s agriculture committee, said the decision is a "victory" for Greens in Europe.
She said Greens have been pushing for a special committee to investigate the decision-making process for the renewal of glyphosate's licence in Europe.
“Greens have serious concerns about whether the rules have been respected during the decision-making process for glyphosate and why scientific studies demonstrating that glyphosate is dangerous have been ignored,” Ms Cato said.
“This committee will have a vital role in establishing how we can make the decision-making and evaluation processes transparent and objective.
“Secret science is not science: its time to shine a spotlight on who is pulling the strings when it comes to authorising these potentially toxic and environmentally damaging products.”
