On Monday 26 September in Brussels, more than 10 agriculture ministers from EU countries called for the European Commission to provide an additional impact assessment on the revision of the legislation on the sustainable use of pesticides.
In a document, Poland, supported by several other countries (Italy, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia and Malta), lists the flaws in the impact assessment accompanying the Commission’s proposal published on 22 June (see EUROPE 13028/6).
Several of these countries consider the proposal’s targets to reduce the use of these products by 50% by 2030 to be too ambitious (see EUROPE 12995/11).
Sensitive areas. France also felt that the impact assessment did not provide a sufficiently precise analysis of the economic impact of a total ban on plant protection products in so-called sensitive areas (Natura 2000, parks, etc.). However, regarding the method, suspending the negotiation process pending an impact assessment “would be a bad idea”, according to Marc Fesneau, the French minister.
Spain also mentioned the need to know the effects of the legislation on sensitive areas.
Denmark, which recalled that it had reduced the use of pesticides by 50%, considered that the effects of banning pesticides in sensitive areas should be better evaluated.
The Finnish minister also supported the requests of Poland and the other countries, as did the Croatian minister and the Greek minister of agriculture.
The pesticide reduction targets are very ambitious, the Irish delegation acknowledged.
Germany, on the other hand, does not consider it necessary to draw up an additional impact assessment.
The Netherlands expressed its support for the level of ambition contained in the Commission’s proposal. Luxembourg said it supported “a high level of ambition” in terms of reducing pesticide use, while calling for a revised impact assessment to see how much food production is expected to fall.
The pesticides issue could soon be put forward to the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the EU (Coreper) to establish ‘guidelines’ for further negotiations on the pesticides proposal. The Czech Presidency of the EU Council plans to present a progress report on the matter by the end of 2022.
The Commission is prepared to be flexible. Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides defended the content of the Commission’s proposals while acknowledging the effects of the war in Ukraine on food security. However, food security is also linked to longer-term (than war) challenges in terms of biodiversity and the fight against climate change, the Commissioner recalled. “These challenges will have to be met”, Ms Kyriakides said.
She expressed a willingness to be flexible on pesticide reduction targets, depending on historical progress. On the definition of sensitive areas, “we are ready to find pragmatic solutions”, the Commissioner promised.
“This is not a take-it-or-leave-it proposal, we are ready to find viable solutions and compromises to achieve our common goal of reducing chemicals in our food”, she concluded.
Link to Poland’s note: https://aeur.eu/f/39i (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)