On Wednesday 13 March in Strasbourg, the European Parliament opposed the Commission's proposal to raise the maximum authorised residue limits for several neonicotinoid pesticides - including clothianidin, the active substance of a bee-killing pesticide, thiacloprid and haloxyfop-R, a herbicide toxic to human health.
The Commission's objective includes a tenfold increase in the maximum residue limit for clothianidin to allow the importation of potatoes from Canada under the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada (CETA).
MEPs opposed the proposal by a large majority (514 votes in favour, 81 against and 20 abstentions).
“We will not sacrifice our bees, biodiversity and the health of our fellow citizens on the altar of free trade”, said Eric Andrieu (S&D, France), chair of the European Parliament's special PEST committee, blaming the Commission for wanting to lower its health standards to match trade treaties. He added: “If we ban it in Europe to protect bees, accepting products that contain it is like killing bees elsewhere”. His compatriot Angélique Delahaye (EPP) said it was “unacceptable to impose very strict rules on European farmers and at the same time allow the importation of products that do not meet these standards”.
Any objection by the European Parliament is political, as it is not legally binding. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)