During the monthly meeting of the EU agriculture ministers, Adema will emphasize that discussions on the European Commission's proposal must be concluded as quickly as possible without any delays.
Therefore, the Netherlands will only support the request for an additional impact assessment if it has a realistic and limited scope, so that implementation within the proposed six-month period is feasible. The Netherlands also favors a phased approach, allowing all information that becomes available in the meantime to be directly involved in the discussions.
Adema’s remarks come after EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski expressed support for a new impact assessment of the plans to reduce pesticide use. Several EU countries advocate for a completely new impact assessment, but critics reject this as a covert way to block the legislation.
In June, the European Commission presented a proposal for new legislation regarding pesticide use, the Sustainable Use Regulation (SUR), aiming to halve risks by 2030. This proposal is controversial in many EU countries.
Alongside the proposal, a 371-page impact assessment report was published, but many agricultural organizations claim that these studies were insufficient.
In response to earlier questions from the Dutch House of Representatives, Adema said that the Netherlands is not fundamentally opposed to a request for additional information, but insists the scope must be realistic and achievable, and it must not delay progress in the discussions.
According to him, the currently proposed full new study goes too far and leads to unwanted delays, he wrote to the House of Representatives in late November.
Ultimately, it is not for the Agriculture Commissioner or the agriculture ministers to decide on possible further research, but for the initiator of the SUR proposal, Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides.
Kyriakides and her colleagues Timmermans (Climate) and Sinkevicius (Environment) have already introduced several relaxations and compromises in the proposal in recent weeks. For instance, the earlier plan of a total ban on pesticide use in certain areas has been replaced by the allowance of less harmful substances. The European Commission has also expressed willingness to consider other compromises.