The Commission has just published a report on the controls on plant protection products in the EU. The overview is based on 19 audits carried out in Member States between 2012 and 2014. The audits concentrated on the authorisation systems for plant protection products, and on the controls carried out for the marketing and use of these products. Shortcomings in the authorisation systems were identified in two areas: • Delays with authorisations within the EU deadlines: Many authorised products had not been evaluated to EU standards, more than 15 years after the EU principles for evaluation had been established. Similarly, delays and weaknesses in co-operation between Member States were identified for the new zonal authorisation system established in 2009. This highlights the difficulty for Member States to put in place authorisation systems in line with EU legislation; • The report also identifies problems with the misuse of simplified emergency authorisations, undermining the effectiveness of the strict criteria for regular authorisations established by EU legislation. Regarding official controls on the marketing of plant protection products, there were weaknesses related to inadequate checks of labels and unsatisfactory quality controls of these products. As a consequence, counterfeit and illegal pesticides may not always be detected. Controls of the Member States on the use of plant protection products were more effective. Relevant aspects were covered during inspections and thorough checks of records kept by users were undertaken. Initial measures were taken for putting into practice the EU Directive on Sustainable Use of Pesticides, which is a step forward to ensure the sustainable use of pesticides.