PAN Europe accuses some EU Member States, led by Austria, of torpedoing the Agriculture Council’s goal of halving pesticide use by 2030, according to documents to which the NGO had access and whose analysis it published on 3 December.
These documents are the positions of the EU27 on the draft EU Council conclusions on the implementation of the ‘Sustainable Use of Pesticides’ Directive (2009/128/EC) for which the NGO had already criticised the German Presidency (see EUROPE 12604/17).
According to PAN Europe, Austria openly takes a stance against the Commission’s strategy. Lithuania and Ireland indirectly criticised the reduction target. The other Member States have not yet taken a position or declared their neutrality.
France proposed the inclusion of a reduction target in the revision of the chemicals Directive, but insists on using an indicator that PAN Europe considers inappropriate.
France, supported by Sweden, proposes to include the protection of pollinators in the Directive.
“This whole process, which happens behind closed doors, is unproductive and wrongly done. EU Citizens have the right to know that the German presidency decided, of its own accord and under the pretext of neutrality, to avoid the 50% pesticide reduction debate, and deprive EU Citizens to benefit from better food, unpolluted water and a sustainable environment”, according to PAN Europe. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)