This was announced last week after the European Commission, the Agriculture Committee, and the Environment Committee reached an agreement on the further parliamentary treatment of the pesticide proposal.
With the supplementary report, Brussels meets the previously repeatedly expressed wishes of several EU countries. They considered the earlier published 'impact assessment' insufficient.
The Commission now has, among other things, a better understanding of the global food situation as a possible consequence of the war in Ukraine and global warming. Vice-President Maros Sefcovic has informed the Swedish Presidency that this addition will be ready this spring.
Sefcovic, responsible for inter-institutional relations within the EU, does caution against overly high expectations. The Commission cannot have data and figures researched and analyzed that do not exist. It also cannot, per country, break down what the possible effect might be in about ten years. Furthermore, the Commission reiterates that more than sufficient research has already been conducted according to existing EU procedures and rules.
The supplementary report from Commissioners Timmermans, Sinkevicius, and Kyriakides will be ready this spring. Several EU countries, including the Netherlands, were only willing to cooperate with such additional research if it would not cause delays. Other EU countries and European politicians, however, preferred postponement, preferably until after the 2024 European elections, so that the entire proposal might possibly be discarded.
Attempts by the Agriculture Committee to block the treatment earlier this month led to an intervention by Parliament President Roberta Metsola and the committee chairs. It has now been agreed that the AGRI Agriculture Committee will take a final position in July on the ultimate parliamentary advice as drafted by Environment rapporteur Sarah Wiener (Greens).
The ENVI Environment Committee will then respond to this in September, after which the full European Parliament will vote on it in the first week of October.
In May, the Agriculture Committee will discuss the Commission’s proposal for nature conservation and restoration, which was presented last May together with the proposal for phasing out pesticide use. Climate Commissioner Frans Timmermans will participate in that discussion.