The European Parliament has vetoed a proposal to restrict chemical pesticides. The Parliament considered the proposal far too weak and blocked it with a veto. This is quite exceptional by EU standards.
The politicians primarily want better protection for all bee species. They are therefore sending the European Commission back to the drawing board to tighten a proposal on the protection of honeybees.
The use of agricultural pesticides is a major cause of bee extinction. As early as 2013, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) advised that the assessment of pesticides should also include whether they are dangerous in the long term. EFSA’s recommendations have still not been translated into legislation.
Promotion
For six years, discussions took place among the agriculture ministers of the 28 EU countries, the European Commission, and the European Parliament about a so-called bee guideline. The original proposal not only looked at pesticides that are acutely harmful to bees but also considered effects on wild bees and bumblebees.
A majority of sixteen EU countries, including the Netherlands, voted earlier this year in favor of a diluted and phased implementation, resulting so far in only acute effects of pesticides being considered.
The proposal entails that short-term effects of pesticides on bees must be factored into safety assessments, but it excludes long-term effects. It was the European Parliament that had included this element, only for the ministers to remove it again.
“Bees and other pollinators are crucial for the survival of countless insect and plant species. Furthermore, 84 percent of all food crops grown in Europe depend on pollinators such as bees. If bees go extinct because the EU does not take serious measures, the consequences for nature and our food production will be disastrous,” said Member of the European Parliament Anja Hazekamp (Party for the Animals).
Because of the European Parliament’s veto, the European Commission must withdraw its current legislative proposal. The Parliament also wants an improved proposal to be presented immediately.