The pesticide proposal has been delayed because several EU countries do not want any restrictions on the use of chemicals in agriculture, or at least want to push the proposal beyond the European elections (June 2024). The proposal was sent back six months ago by the then Czech presidency to Commissioners Timmermans, Sinkevicius, and Kyriakides with a request for additional impact assessment.
An additional 218-page note shows that the impact on most agricultural products is quite manageable, that there will be no total ban (only for public parks and green spaces), and that the restrictions in agriculture and horticulture apply only to the truly 'dangerous' (health-threatening) substances.
Moreover, Brussels has previously made it clear that countries that have already significantly reduced chemical use should be rewarded with a lower target.
The additional impact report was recently leaked and may be presented by the European Commission on July 5. However, Brussels is linking this to their proposal for a nature restoration law, on which the Environment Committee of the European Parliament will hold a final vote on Tuesday.
Furthermore, the current EU presidency, Sweden, has introduced two technical compromises on the pesticide proposal. These allow member states to choose to set guidelines for individual crops or for groups of crops. EU countries can also opt to fulfill this obligation by establishing binding rules.
Member states must draft guidelines or rules for crops that together cover 75% (previously 90%) of agricultural land area. A majority of EU countries support these options, including the Netherlands, as Adema reports in his annotated letter to parliament.
In addition, the Agriculture Ministers will discuss during their two-day meeting the request of seven EU countries to maintain two temporary relaxations in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for next year as well. This is still considered necessary for the threatened global food security due to the Russian war against Ukraine. The European Commission says that food impacts are under pressure but have so far been quite manageable.
The two relaxations concern mandatory crop rotation and leaving fallow land unused to stimulate biodiversity. These two derogations were included last year under pressure from the European Parliament ('temporary, for one year') in the CAP 2023-2027 when it became clear that Ukrainian grain exports would be affected by the Russian blockade of the Black Sea ports.
In the plea from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Poland, Czechia, and Hungary, the ongoing drought and resulting disappointing harvests are also highlighted as reasons why broadening production possibilities would be desirable.