According to a harsh report by the European Court of Auditors that was published on Thursday, 9 July, EU measures have thus far failed to ensure the protection of wild pollinators, whose decline is, however, alarming.
The purpose of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the framework of measures put in place by the European Commission in response to this decline that is largely caused by intensive agriculture and the use of pesticides.
Auditors criticise not only shortcomings in the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 and the June 2018 European Pollinators Initiative (see EUROPE 12142/31) but also shortcomings in the EU legislation on pesticides and in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which contains no specific requirements for the protection of wild pollinators.
“The EU initiatives taken so far to protect wild pollinators have unfortunately been too weak to bear fruit. Their decline should be seen as a major threat to our environment, agriculture and quality food supply”, declared Samo Jereb, a member of the Court of Auditors, speaking to the press by videoconference the day before.
This report is intended to contribute to the initiatives planned for 2021 under the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, presented last May (see EUROPE 12491/2), and to the 2021–2027 national strategic plans of the new CAP.
The following are the main findings of the audit.
The 2020 biodiversity strategy does not include specific action to reverse the decline of wild pollinators, although its mid-term review by the Commission specifically identified pollinators as one of the most degraded components of the ecosystems in the EU. Moreover, there is no adequate indicator to monitor decline.
Other EU policies aiming to promote biodiversity do not include specific requirements for the protection of wild pollinators. The Commission has not made use of the options available in terms of biodiversity conservation measures in any programme, including the Habitats Directive, the Natura 2000 network, and the LIFE programme. The latter can finance projects, but none have been registered by the Commission.
The European Pollinators Initiative only focuses on three out of nine decline factors: loss of habitats, use of pesticides, and invasive species. Furthermore, it has no legal and financial framework. Thus, it does not envisage clear rules for the departments (DGs) of the Commission concerned, and the human resources allocated to it are limited.
“There is still only one person in DG Environment and one in DG Health, whereas all DGs should be working on this initiative”, stressed one member of the audit team. He referred to “a lack of accountability on the part of the Commission”.
The legislation on pesticides is being blamed because it does not contain adequate measures for the protection of pollinators. It only includes safeguards to protect bees, but the risk assessments are still based on the 2013 EFSA guidelines, which are not in line with legal requirements and the latest scientific knowledge. In fact, Member States have refused to update these guidelines (see EUROPE 12355/3).
Too many Member States are using the emergency authorisations in the Pesticides Regulation (1107/2009) without justification in order to authorise banned neonicotinoids. The Commission did not start to react until 2020 (see EUROPE 12417/9).
As for the CAP, the auditors see it as part of the problem and not part of the solution. The greening and cross-compliance requirements have not brought an end to the decline of biodiversity on farmland (see EUROPE 12500/13).
Recommendations. As the European Green Deal will be at the top of the EU agenda in the coming decades, the auditors recommend that the Commission: - assess the need for specific measures for wild pollinators in the 2021 follow-up measures and actions for the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030; - better integrate actions to protect wild pollinators into EU policy instruments on biodiversity conservation and agriculture; and - improve the protection of wild pollinators in the pesticides risk assessment process.
When questioned, the European Commission welcomed the audit—which, according to a spokeswoman, acknowledges its action in sectoral policies such as the environment, agriculture, and cohesion— while admitting that “there is room for improvement”.
See the audit: https://bit.ly/2DqDJsH (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)