Environmental organizations complained that too many countries circumvented the ban too often. Together with a Belgian beekeeper, they initiated legal proceedings against a Belgian 'exception'. According to them, exemptions have been improperly and unjustifiably granted for several consecutive years.
In reactions from various European countries, it is pointed out that the ruling specifically concerns the situation in Belgium and not other countries. However, the EU judges stated that the European Commission must now come up with a new decision.
Various studies indicate that the extinction of bee species is almost certainly a consequence of the use of large quantities of neonicotinoids as pesticides in agriculture.
The preventive treatment of seeds banned since 2018 can indeed no longer be applied exceptionally, according to the EU judges. So far, eleven EU countries have adopted such "emergency permits." France announced at the beginning of January that it wants to extend this derogation again, after having already applied it for two consecutive years.
Since 1991, European legislation has regulated the marketing and use of pesticides, as well as the permitted residue levels in food. As part of the new Green Deal and Farm to Fork strategy, the European Commission aims to reduce pesticide use by half by 2030.